QB commit Charlie Dean: It's a 'dream come true' to play for UCF
Josh Heupel may have found UCF's quarterback of the future.
Charlie Dean, one of the state's top junior quarterbacks, became his first commitment of the 2019 class on Friday night. It was just one week after the Tampa (Fla.) Catholic star received his official offer.
"To have the opportunity to play for Coach Heupel and Coach (Jeff) Lebby in their offense, it's a dream come true," Dean said.
The pledge was a week in the making. A day after the offer, Dean and his family made the short drive to campus for an unoficial visit to see the coaches.
"We just kind of talked about stuff like how I fit into their offense," Dean said. "The game plan they have for me. We talked X's and O's. Heupel pulled up clips of Drew Lock last year at Missouri, just showing me the offense and different calls. Drew was able to check in and out of plays and had complete control of the offense.
"The passing game is going to be vertical. There's sideline-to-sideline throws, but most of it is vertical. We're going to be taking shots, throwing touchdowns and getting those stats up."
Heupel told Dean that he has all the traits he looks for in a quarterback.
"Arm strength is a big deal," Dean said. "All the coaches say I have a strong arm. I may only be 6-1 and a half, but it's more the way I play ball. I play bigger than my size. Coaches like that about me.
"During the meeting we had, (Heupel) pulled up a list of guys he coached previously. He said we wouldn't be in this room talking if he didn't believe I had the talent, then talking about guys like Sam Bradford and Drew Lock. He compared me to those guys which was really cool."
Dean and his family also toured the campus and facilities last weekend.
"I never realized how big the campus was," he said. "They showed me the plans for the new weight room and nutrition center. I liked the lazy river the best. That was kind of cool."
Even though it's still early in his recruitment, Dean didn't want to risk losing a spot by waiting. He had his eye on UCF from the start, attending two games this past season as a recruit. He was hoping the new staff would recruit him as well.
"I talked to my parents and prayed a lot," Dean said. "I felt it was the best decision for me. I just felt like the time was right. I called Coach Heupel and Coach Lebby, they put it on speaker phone, and I committed. They were hyped and seemed really excited. Coach Lebby was all like, 'Let's go!' They seemed real excited. I was too."
Now with Dean on board, UCF has a centerpiece to start building the rest of their 2019 class.
"That was the whole goal," Dean said. "They said they wanted to get the quarterback first and build the class around me."
UCF has issued dozens of 2019 offers over the last couple weeks, including one to Dean's wide receiver teammate, Ahmarean Brown. Dean isn't going to be pushy, but obviously would love for Brown to join him. He plans to visit UCF as much as possible this spring, encouraging other prospects to jump on board.
"Nothing really compares to UCF," Dean said. "UCF has the offense, the coaches and the location. They have everything."