Grant Dean shows what he brings to Wisconsin football

Grant Dean, the three-star recruit from Neenah who jumped on an offer and verbally committed to Wisconsin this spring, scored two first quarter touchdowns to help the Rockets take an 18-point lead into halftime.

Muskego eventually reasserted itself in the final two quarters on its way to a 31-21 victory over Dean and Neenah. Dean finished with 135 rushing yards on 17 carries, according to WisSports. He’s slated to play safety at Wisconsin, but his skill set should translate well to the defensive backfield.

Dean’s expected to start at safety when he arrives as a midyear enrollee in January. Dean ran a 10.83-second 100-meter on April 12, according to athletic.net, and that helped him gash Muskego for two first-half scores. His first touchdown came on a triple option in which he received the pitch from quarterback Evan Vanevenhoven and took it 24 yards for a touchdown.

His second score came on a counter play where he caught the edge to his left then outran Muskego defenders for a 62-yard touchdown run. All this came after a fumble on his first carry of the season that led to Muskego’s lone points of the first half.

He showed why he earned All-State honors as a junior from the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (large school) and Associated Press (second team).

This isn’t a new thing for Dean — just look at his junior film — but he blocked one extra-point attempt against Muskego off the right edge of the line and nearly had multiple Friday night. His speed also helped in pass coverage, most notably tracking down a Muskego player down the field before the quarterback could get off the throw. Neenah’s front seven eventually got the sack on the play.

Neenah lists Dean at 6 foot and 190 pounds, and his frame is more like Badgers safety Preston Zachman (6-1, 212 pounds) than Hunter Wohler (6-2, 218). Dean’s bicep veins showed under the shoulder pads, but he could easily gain another 10 to 20 pounds once he arrives at Wisconsin and director of football strength and conditioning Brady Collins gets ahold of him starting in January.

Dean showed his ability to crash down from his safety spot and make stops. The play immediately after his first-quarter fumble showed his ability to shake off a mistake, stopping a Muskego ball carrier for a minimal gain. He didn’t shy away from a head-on meeting with a lead blocker a couple of times during Muskego runs that eventually went for big gains.

Dean wasn’t just asked to get to the edge, where he was arguably the most effective, but also to run inside. He also wasn’t afraid to block when called upon.

What was noticeable after rewatching Friday’s snaps was how Muskego wore down Neenah on both sides of the ball in the second half on its way to 28 unanswered points. Dean played in all three phases of the game, even with being taken off the field at times on offense (briefly) and special teams. Though he appeared to be in great shape, fatigue was evident after the physical matchup. He met a Muskego ball carrier near the goal line in the second half but couldn’t bring him down.

Neenah ran the ball for the vast majority of the time against Muskego, so we didn’t see much impact in the passing game as had been seen in the 48-second and 4:05 marks of his junior highlights. He seemed to find the ball and caught throws well during team warmups, a solid sign to translate for an ability to reel in interceptions down the road. He caught 20 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns in 2023, according to WisSports.

Dean crashed down and made tackles from his high safety position when needed, but he mostly patrolled the back third of the defense for the vast majority of the game and didn’t play closer to the line of scrimmage. Muskego didn’t challenge him through the air due to its ground attack, which really gained steam and effectiveness in the final two quarters.