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I remember recruiting him. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/draft/free/stories, at The original plan was to get 10 meals from the restaurant that was going to host Monday night's watch party and take them to the shelter. 2019: Co-winner of Defensive Newcomer of the Year award, given at teams post-season awards galaplayed in all 14 games and finished with 25 total stops, including 1.5 tackles for losssolo TFL came in Sugar Bowl win over Baylorone of four Bulldogs to have a team-high six tackles in shutout of Kentucky..also forced a fumble on a UK punt returnhad two tackles and a QB pressure vs. Floridathree solo tackles and a pass breakup vs. Georgia Techalso had a QB pressure vs. Arkansas Stateenrolled at UGA in January and participated in Spring drillshad five tackles in the annual G-Day intrasquad gameNamed by National Football Foundation as a member of its inaugural Team of Distinction, recognizing high school scholar-athletes for their combination of athletic and academic performances, as well as service to their communities. Coach Lanning used to always say, if youre good enough, youre old enough, Dean said. He's a versatile man both on and off the field. "Because we only went over it one time.". It just symbolises the hard work I put in, but reminds me that it's not over, it's just getting started, I've got a lot more work to put in, the chip on my shoulder has done nothing but grow and I just got a lot of work to put in.". (via @Eagles) pic.twitter.com/AmVs4zkRY3, Theres a joke in there somewhere about Nakobe Deans injury list, his NFL Draft drop before the Eagles picked him in the third round, and pursuing the opportunity to help himself regenerate.I made it on the Dawg Walk Talk Podcast this past week. "I've had meetings with the Patriots. But things are indeed different now. Design/Web/Multimedia. Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba praises God after record-setting Rose Bowl Where is Georgia? Keyontae Johnson 'thanking God every day' for second chance at Kansas State after collapse. "Being a football player here, it's kind of hard to figure out internships or co-ops if you want to do something else besides play," Dean says. Dean has been quizzed on both a lot. Offenses are more complex. To watch him play football is to understand that though the grass under his feet is the same as his opponents, and even his teammates, he is operating on a different plane altogether. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. "I feel like we set the bar, and now there's going to be more opportunities, athletes are going to be more confident taking them. The 6-foot, 225-pounder also was a Mechanical Engineering major at Georgia. I always wanted to help somebody, I always wanted to have a job where I could help, so I thought 'I could be a doctor, that would be perfect'. In fact, academics have been his top priority throughout his life. "Growing up nobody pushed sports to me, nobody," he explains. Second-round center Cam Jurgens will wear No. After Georgia won its national semifinal matchup over Michigan to advance to the national title game, Dean was asked what it would be like for a boy from Horn Lake to play for a national championship. I even wrote that his leadership skills and engineering prowess made him the Tony Stark of Georgia footballs National Championship defense. His goal? "But towards the end of my senior year (in high school) I wasn't leaning towards being a doctor as much as I was engineering, because that was numbers and math and putting things together, things like that. MechSE professor Katie Matlack was named one of this year's recipients of The Grainger College of Engineering Dean's Award for Excellence in Research. Would love your thoughts, please comment. https://t.co/kFd8Bf0EUe @UGAAthletics. Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports, Sign up for the University of Georgia Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. He pulls one of the kids aside and tells him about how some of the machines work. He's a 4.0 GPA engineering majorhe's one of the premier linebackers in all of college footballand here he is with kip-up in full pads Nakobe Dean is ELITE! FA Cup QFs: Kompany returns to Man City with Burnley, Grimsby at Brighton, Fury calls for Paul to honour deal | Pay up!, Toney 'shocked and disappointed' over six-month ban claims. Classes are harder. They seem to have the same philosophy (as Georgia) when it comes to playing defense, when it comes to playing football.". You definitely felt that from him, and we knew that about him before we even drafted him. "Nakobe is 20 and has no kids," Neketta said. Neketta once organized a 5K run aimed at bringing together police and first responders and the local high school football team, which Dean was a part of. Dean, of course, is not alone in this endeavor. And while it marks the end of an era, Dean insists the overwhelming emotion will be pride. "When NIL deals started rolling in, my priorities were having them still let me focus on football and whether there was a way to give through the deals," Dean says. Adding Nakobe Dean to a weekend that already included Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens . Personal: Full name NAKOBE RASHOD DEAN.major: Mechanical Engineering.recipient of the Ken and Jody Jackson Family Scholarship, as well as the Ramsey Scholarship for Academic & Athletic Excellence.older brother, Nikolas, played tight end at Ole Miss. It is a message that Dean, whose love for football began at the recreation centre where his mother worked in Mississippi, passes on to those in the position he once was. Why is NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks is looking forward to watching Georgia CB Kelee Ringo and Georgia TE Darnell Washington? The potential is, too -- along with the money. On a particular key play in that game, he recognized the motion the quarterback made and broke from his position to cover a surprise wheel route pass perfectly. The 6-0, 225 lb. When Nakobe Dean was being recruited to @GeorgiaFootball, he met all sorts of important people. Sports was just a hobby growing up until I got to high school. His contribution will help upkeep the bed, food and showers for one individual for two months. Bruce Feldman is the National College Football Insider for The Athletic. Sept. 26, 2020; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) looks in the Arkansas Razorbacks backfield during the second quarter at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. "On Draft day, first round, second round, I know I'm going to have a chance to be on a team. ", How Eagles' Nakobe Dean embodied the new life of a college football star, Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, Stoops: QB Leary (pec) 'close to full go' for UK, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, NCAA panel eyes shorter football games in 2023, Ex-Vols staffers agree to show-cause penalties, UNC hires ex-Browns HC Kitchens as assistant, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? So I feel like youve just got to gain the respect of guys and the trust of guys, and youve got to know who youre playing with. The type of three-down playmaking linebacker you want today. Because I didn't have that coming up. He's the extra blitzer needed in Jonathan Gannon's defense. Dean valued academics as much as competing for a national championship when choosing his college destination. "That's Kobe Dean," she tells him. Those who have known Dean since he was just a kid growing up in Horn Lake, Mississippi, would argue it has always been in him. Head coach Nick Sirianni only got see Dean for a few snaps on Friday. it's always funny when we look for young kids to be the best example for all of us.". And listen to the DawgsHQ crew on our podcast Dawg Walk Talk onSpotifyandApple Podcasts. Scout after scout raved about his instinctive play at the second level, which allowed him to move a tick faster than most to the ball. He ended up choosing Georgia, and now has a national title to add to his accolades. *** All-America First Team - Associated Press, Walter Camp, AFCA, Sporting News, USA Today, ESPN, The Athletic, CBS *** Ten Hag: Too soon to decide Weghorst, Sabitzer futures, How Spanish football is failing elite talent Vinicius Jr. Lewis Hamilton's race against time: Is eighth title dream still alive? His pressure to the quarterback is excellent, generating 31 of them in 2021 -- sixth among linebackers in the nation. He narrowed his choices to engineering and pre-med because of his interest in prosthetics. jdecision21. Dean recorded 71 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season. "So I wanted to make that easier while also showing these kids that, even though they might want to grow up and play sports right now, there are also other avenues you can use to be successful if you don't make it on the field.". Academic standout. Three trades in a chaotic top five, The new law changing service academy football, and the coaches pushing back, Realignment chatter: How the Pac-12 holds the key to it all. General Manager. According to ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr, he's also been climbing NFL Draft boards and currently sits as a top-15 prospect. That defense is led by junior inside linebacker Nakobe Dean, whos a team captain and the winner of the 2021 Butkus Award, given to the nations top linebacker. When it came to numbers, he always had the right answer.". Dean archives bits and pieces from the games of current NFL linebackers, from the Tennessee Titans' Zach Cunningham and the way he takes on blocks, to Roquan Smith's open-field tackling with the Chicago Bears and how Indianapolis Colts star Darius Leonard is able to dispossess ball-carriers. Led by junior Nakobe Dean, this is a really, really solid group. UGA Football Star Nakobe Dean - 4.0 GPA, Mechanical Engineering Major. He had a script out there every day, wearing his helmet and shoulder pads. Join the Heavy on Eagles newsletter here! To make prosthetic limbs for veterans in need. Young threw for 369 yards and a touchdown, but he also tossed two interceptions his first collegiate game with multiple picks the second of which was returned 79 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory for the Bulldogs. I always tell them I want them to be better than me, not like me, better than me. Transfer Centre LIVE! Dean was a star student at Georgia as well, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.55 GPA but there is still a ramp-up period going from what you know to what you have to know now. Dean was considered to the top linebacker in the class of 2019. In the past, No. The football player's success in the classroom stems from a routine he developed in high school. High School: Horn Lake HS, coached by Brad Boyette2018 High School Butkus Award winner as the nations top prep LBselected for the 2019 Under Armour All-America Gamechosen as the 2018-19 Gatorade High School Football Player in Mississippi USA Today All-USA first team and listed at No. "One of my goals next season is to establish myself as one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Linebacker Nakobe Dean is one of the primary reasons the Georgia defense has been a brick wall. All the hard work you put in through the season, everything you had to do through the offseason, you knew that it worked," he continued. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Watch all three days of the 2022 NFL Draft unfold on Sky Sports NFL, April 28-30, starting with live build-up to day one from 9pm on Thursday, April 28, with the first picks expected to be made just after 1am. Dean is majoring in mechanical engineering, but that did not stop him from picking an Alabama hat after the national championship. He understands things he gets it, and he plays super fast.. Jelani Woods is an athletic marvel - can he succeed in the NFL? Career Highs The Dean kids would not only shadow their mom through her endeavors, but get involved, too. Dean took that, and decided to build a career on both. There, she stood not just handing things out but talking to people about whatever was going on in their lives. "But to have both at that age, that has only happened to me one time, and it was with Nakobe.". Dean's biggest knock. Dean's values were instilled by his mother Neketta at a young age. Were constantly reminding each other every day that this is all just a blessing from God, Neketta told Dawg Nation in 2018. raised $30,000 through an NIL deal for the children's hospital. Dean views his service as a natural byproduct of where he has ended up. A number of athletes around the country have taken their NIL opportunities and flip them into impact beyond their own. And nothing he does on the field would be as impressive as that accomplishment. After the game ended, Dean took a knee and bowed his head on the field. 1, Report: PGA Tour trimming some fields, ending cuts, Trade tracker: Kings' Quick era ends with deal to Jackets, Rodgers out of isolation, call on '23 coming 'soon enough'. Theres still a chance I might pursue pre-med if I feel like doing chemistry and everything when I get back to school., . "I think it's great what they're doing, but it's worth noting that we're now counting on these 21-year-olds who are making sometimes tens of thousands of dollars to be the ones that are giving back and doing good," Soskin says. Nakobe Dean and mother, Neketta Dean, left, during Georgia's Pro Day Dean left Georgia boasting a 3.5 GPA and has vowed to finish his mechanical engineering degree, which is roughly two semesters . ATHENS, Ga. -- Nakobe Dean's eyes are glued to the TV above him. 10:57 pm ET, NFL combine burning questions: Young's size and more, C.J. Our back is really fast and that play shouldve gone for at least 20. Kirby Smart's squad has surrendered just 53 points and 1,813 yards through eight games. Nakobe Dean reacts after a play against Arkansas. We just want to walk through these good things that God has provided for us and were not going to do it with any pride or boasting or those things. Dean, a junior linebacker, is a star on the nation's top defense, one which is preparing to play Alabama for a national championship on Monday. First, though, things need to get organized, and Neketta is taking over, calling out orders and almost doing a play-by-play of what's going on. Currently working as a Mechanical Engineer at Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners). NFL draft questions for teams in the top 10: Will the Colts trade up? I want to get into designing prosthetics, he said, but I am open because I know there are a lot of avenues you can get into with mechanical engineering.. "We don't want people going home with seven peanut butters," Neketta says. One of my dreams was to be successful in the NFL so I feel like we'll be more proud than it being a weird feeling (being on different teams).". Dean said slipping to the third round is something that will always stick with him during his playing career. "Words can't describe how proud I am, just coming where I come from, growing up that's all we talked about, being able to make it out and then come back and give back to my community so I do look forward to going back whenever I can," he says. Dean has been described as "selfless' and a culture changer." He got a grand tour of the program this weekend by non-other than Derek Karr, the dean of the University of Alabama . Listed on 2023-02-18. Follow Bruce on Twitter @BruceFeldmanCFB. Dean enrolled early in Athens and had an outstanding freshman season, despite being part of a deep linebacker corps. Entering Mondays College Football Playoff National Championship Gamein Indianapolis, Georgia had a former walk-on at quarterback while Alabama was led by the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. 51; third-round linebacker Nakobe Dean gets No. "I feel good about it just because I always knew I wanted to establish myself as the best linebacker in college football, it was one of my goals for the season.