One of West Virginia’s top high school football players is bound for the Big Ten Conference.
Mondrell Dean, a two-way standout at Hurricane, committed Tuesday to Purdue.
Dean, recently offered by the Boilermakers, was the recipient of two of the top individual awards for his play on the gridiron as a senior. He won the Howley Award as the state’s top linebacker as well as the Huff Award as the state’s premier defender.
Dean, a South Charleston transfer who continued playing for former Black Eagles’ head coach Donnie Mays after he accepted the same position at Hurricane, made a major impact in his lone season with the Redskins. He led them to a 10-3 campaign and an appearance in the Class AAA semifinals while playing a pivotal role on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, the 6-foot-3, 237-pound Dean was in on 139 tackles, including 24 for loss of yardage and 11 sacks He caused four fumbles and recovered one.
As a running back, Dean carried 76 times for 617 yards and 16 touchdowns. He added 11 receptions for 191 yards and one touchdown.
Dean was a first-team all-state selection in his lone season at Hurricane as well as in 2021 as a junior at South Charleston.
Purdue recently hired a new head coach in Ryan Walters, who left behind his previous position as Illinois’ defensive coordinator.