JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dallan “Deebo” Coleman has one year of college eligibility left, and he’s going to make the most of it.
Coleman, the All-News4JAX basketball player of the year and state’s Mr. Basketball in 2021 from West Nassau, will try and leave his mark in a different sport as his career winds down at UCF.
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Coleman took part in spring practice with the UCF football team and is attempting to finish his career with the Knights on the gridiron. Coleman isn’t listed on the spring football roster, but the school confirmed that Coleman is a part of the program. 247Sports reported that 6-6, 220-pound Coleman will play tight end in Scott Frost’s program.
Since Coleman has played four years of college basketball, he is out of eligibility in that sport. But college athletes have five academic years, so Coleman is taking advantage of that.
It’s a big change for Coleman, who won the state’s Mr. Basketball award in his final season at West Nassau after leading the Warriors to the state semifinals. It will be his first work on the football field since he played for the Warriors his freshman and sophomore seasons at West Nassau. While Coleman played sparingly on offense, he was very good on defense. Coleman had five interceptions from his safety position as a sophomore and amassed 114 tackles in his two years there.
Coleman signed with Georgia Tech out of high school in 2021 and spent his first three college seasons there. His best season with the Yellow Jackets came in 2023 when he started 31 of 33 games and averaged 9.5 points a game. He transferred to UCF for the 2024-25 season and averaged 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds for the Knights.
