Notre Dame has jumped into the mix for one of the more intriguing young receivers in the 2028 class, offering De La Salle (CA) wideout Damari Dean.
The Irish are now the eighth reported program to extend an offer to the 6-foot-1, 165-pound California prospect, who is already drawing serious attention as both a football player and a track athlete. Dean is viewed as a consensus three-star and sits right on the edge of blue-chip territory in the rankings.
247Sports has him with an 89 overall grade and listed as the No. 25 athlete in the country. In the composite, he checks in at No. 447 nationally and No. 32 among athletes in the 2028 class with an 88 grade. The composite cutoff for a four-star is an 89.01 grade or higher.
That track profile helps explain the buzz. Dean, a two-sport athlete, has personal bests of 10.32 in the 100 meters, 20.92 in the 200 meters, and 24-9 in the long jump, all recorded between May 2 and May 29 of this year.
MileSplit ranks those marks No. 78 nationally in the 100, No. 77 in the 200, and No. 30 in the long jump. The De La Salle website also lists a measured 77.5-inch wingspan.
On the football field, Dean has been producing in a big way as a first-year starter. Through five games this fall, he has 12 catches for 334 yards, a hefty 27.8 yards per reception, and five touchdowns. He has also handled kickoff returns, bringing back six for 147 yards, and he has added 15 tackles from the defensive backfield.
He’s been the clear focal point of the passing game, leading the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. No other De La Salle receiver has reached double-digit catches, topped 81 receiving yards, or scored more than twice.
Dean’s only reported visit so far has been to USC, where he was on the expected visitor list for last weekend’s Oregon game.
The film matches the production. Dean runs with smoothness and long speed, the kind that doesn’t always jump off the screen until a defender is suddenly chasing from behind and losing ground in a hurry. He gets separation at the break point and already shows some feel for route details, including flashing his eyes back to the quarterback before working upfield to pull an overhanging corner closer, though those traits are still developing.
There isn’t much extra movement in his routes, either. He stays fairly consistent until he makes his cut, which makes it harder for defensive backs to get a read on what’s coming.
At 165 pounds, the obvious question is how he handles press coverage, and there are examples on film that answer it. At the 1:20 mark, he beats a defender lined up in his face with a simple inside release, planting and bending across the defensive back’s body to take away the chance for hands at the line.
On the next snap, at the 1:30 mark, Dean shows another way to separate, this time against a defensive back playing a few yards off. He sells a cut to the left, then outruns the defender to the corner and finishes the touchdown with some sharp footwork in the back of the end zone.
De La Salle is 5-0 and ranked No. 20 nationally by MaxPreps, giving Dean a strong stage to keep building his case as the rankings move forward.
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