Stephen Dean III on Maryland transfer: "they wanted an experienced, productive LB"

Ahmed Ghafir
10 hours ago
3 min read

Maryland welcomed former VMI linebacker Stephen Dean III for an official visit after heading to College Park on Monday afternoon into Tuesday, yet the 6-foot-2 Virginia native arrived on campus mindful that it could materialize into his landing spot out of the transfer portal. All he needed to do was make sure the fit matched his expectations.

“Before I stepped foot on campus, I had a pretty good idea I was going to commit unless something went extremely south and I really didn’t like something there, which none of that happened,” Dean told IBG. “So all that really had to happen was experience it, feel the vibe. I kind of knew I would say a few days prior. I really said to myself ‘this could definitely be the place’ so just have to go on the visit and feel it out.”

That commitment materialized into a decision at the end of his visit on Tuesday before publicly announcing on Thursday afternoon, becoming the second portal addition after former Temple RB Terrez Worthy jumped into the fold.

Christian Feliziani, Maryland’s assistant director of roster management, chipped in on efforts early in the pursuit before Dean sat down with defensive coordinator Ted Monachino on day one of his visit. Later that evening, Dean met with inside linebacker coach Zac Spavital on Monday night to give the experienced linebacker a stronger feel of what to expect from Maryland’s defense.

“They’re both great guys,” Dean added.

What’s expected out of Dean is clear given the veteran upgrades the top of the linebacker unit alongside Daniel Wingate and CJ Smith.

“They wanted an experienced, productive linebacker that has a chip on their shoulder. Both of those things: experience and productivity,” Dean added. “I’m going to push everyone in that room, whether I’m starting or not, but the end goal is to definitely start and to get a lot of reps, but I bring a lot of maturity to the room. I can bring perspective to things after playing for four years.”

Whether Dean or Smith materialize into the starter is a question for fall camp to answer as Dean arrives looking to pick up where he left off after a monster 2025 season.

“Obviously they have Daniel Wingate, he’s a dog. That’s kind of his spot right there. The other one is up for grabs. I know they have CJ Smith who is a dog, freshman, had a great year. It’s just up to me, what my ability is and just go out there and compete.”

Dean, named a second team All-SoCon selection, led the conference with 117 tackles while recording ten games with at least seven tackles, five games with at least ten tackles and a career-best 17 tackles against Chattanooga. His nine TFLs also ranked ninth in the conference, adding to what could be Maryland’s strongest front seven of the Mike Locksley era.

“And at the end of day, I might have been playing FCS football but it’s all football at the end of the day. I’ll be watching film the exact same way and seeing it from different perspectives. I’ve had four years of military leadership so I’m going to take what I learn here and apply it at Maryland.”

Dean is planning to enroll at the University of Maryland at the end of May while the rest of the additions, including remaining high school signees, enroll in mid-June.

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