Dean was originally a four-star recruit in the 2018 recruiting class, and he was one of Dan Mullen‘s first commits after he was hired at Florida. Dean saw action almost immediately as a true freshman. He started the year working backup duty and playing on special teams, but after starting cornerback Marco Wilson went down he started nine of the final 10 games at cornerback, though he mostly played safety in high school.

He finished the season with 26 tackles, a pick and six passes defended. With Wilson back in 2019, Dean started just six games as a sophomore (though he played in all 13). He saw action mostly at cornerback and the STAR position, totaling 26 tackles (3.5 for loss), two sacks, a pick and a forced fumble.

In 50 career appearances with the Gators, Dean has compiled 174 tackles, four sacks, nine tackles for loss, four interceptions, 14 pass breakups and a forced fumble.