2018 OL Dean Porter University of San Diego Commitment Interview

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

A long high school career for Class of 2018 offensive lineman Dean Porter has come to a fantastic conclusion. The three-time All-Bay League talent for Palos Verdes High School has narrowed down his 21 scholarship offers to a perfect collegiate fit with the University of San Diego. In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with the 6-3, 290 pound, trench warrior after he returned from his official visit with the Toreros over the weekend getting the inside scoop on his verbal commitment to the University of San Diego.

Interview

Dean, National Signing Day is rapidly approaching, how many offers do you have on the table?

“I have 21 offers.”

You took an official visit to San Diego this weekend, how did it go?

“It went really well. I loved it.”

What all did you do?

“We got there Friday afternoon. There were about 16 recruits overall visiting, nine of us were there on Friday. We had dinner on Friday with the coaches at a local spot then we went back to our room. The coaches paired me with a roommate from Texas for the weekend, Austin Bertness (tight end/receiver).

“On Saturday, they took us to the school, we had breakfast, and then did a three-hour academic tour. We had lunch in the main dinning haul, which was outstanding. Then we did an athletics tour, which was also outstanding. After that we went back to the hotel for a break. We had a financial aid meeting later in the day to see how much it will cost me to attend school there. That night, we had dinner and then some of the current players took us out – we went down to Mission Beach. On Sunday morning, we had breakfast down on Mission Beach and then headed home.”

When you spoke with the coaching staff about your fit with their scheme, how are they seeing you as a Torero in their program?

“They are seeing me at guard. We’ll see how that goes. They will probably put me at center in the long run.”

How do you see yourself fitting into their scheme?

“Their scheme is a lot like ours. They run a lot. They do a lot of power runs and they do run a lot of zone blocking. Their scheme is like what we do at Palos Verdes. They also do a lot of play action. I will fit in well there. That is why I committed to the staff on Saturday.”

Congratulations.

“Thank you.”

What influenced you to commit when you did?

“First, I was really sold on them already before the visit. I had not learned about their academics yet. When I saw everything – that sold me. San Diego was rated the No. 1 prettiest campus in the nation, they have a top 15 engineering program, and they were rated a top 20 school for food. They also dominate their conference in football. All of that was impossible to pass up.”

How did the commitment take place?

“When we went out to dinner on Saturday night, I knew I wanted to commit that night. I didn’t want to do it at dinner. When our player host was taking us out, Coach (Jim) Jackson (offensive line) gave me a hug as we were leaving. He said to me, “Are you in?” I replied, “Of course I am in.””

What was the reaction of Coach Jackson when you committed?

“He was very excited. He said, “Alright, let’s go.””

How did you feel at that moment when you verbally committed?

“It was exciting. I was happy for the rest of the night, and I am still happy about my commitment.”

Is there a sense of relief, that to some extent, your recruiting process is over?

“Yes. I am happy it is over. It is nice to take that weight off my shoulders. The hard part of the recruiting process was finding a place that I loved overall. I found it at the University of San Diego.

“I want to give a shout out to Coach (Jacques) Cesaire, he played with (San Diego) Chargers for nine years. He is a coach with that much experience as a defensive lineman in the NFL who took his time to help develop me into a college recruit. I am grateful for all of his help.”

What are you going to do to celebrate your commitment?

“That I don’t know. Maybe my parents will take me out to dinner. I’m guessing all of my family will go out for dinner to celebrate sometime this week.”

Are you going to help recruit other players to join you in the 2018 class?

“There are a few guys I know from The Men In The Trenches camps – an offensive tackle and a defensive lineman, that I have developed a great relationship with over the past year. One of them had said if I committed he would commit. I will talk to both them to get them to commit.”

Dean, thanks for your time today and congratulations on your commitment to San Diego.

“Thank you.”

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Photo credit: Porter family; Dean Porter on his official visit to San Diego.