true bond between the two linemen began to form.
"It wasn't really until we got to Charlottesville
that we really got to know each other," Dean
recalled. "We got to UVa, and me, Ross, Tra [red-
shirt fourth-year Demetrious Nicholson], and all
of the 757 guys really bonded because wee had
that background that we shared. From day one,
we all clicked."
"The relationship really has gotten tighter and
tighter, as we've grown up and gone through
school and our time here at UVa," Burbank added.
During their first year, when it was pretty ap-
parent to them that they'd be redshirting, they
began to regularly reap the benefits of playing
against each other.
"There's no easy days during practice when
you're facing a guy like that," Burbank said of
Dean. "It just helps me elevate my game, and I
think it's done the same for him. Our competitive
nature, I think we're very focused guys.
Dean, a 6-1, 290-pound defensive tackle, recorded nine total stops, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks
in Virginia first four contests this season.
PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA
