", From the other end of the table, Dean smiles and quips, "Coach them up, mama. "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. You cant treat everybody the same way as far as getting on them, so of course, Ive got to come in, earn my respect. Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports, Sign up for the University of Georgia Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Theres still a chance I might pursue a pre-med [degree] depending on if I feel like doing chemistry and everything when I get back to school. But Georgia stood above the rest. Now, though, Dean can do all of those things and actually start and help fund internships for student-athletes right away, while also discussing the possibility of investing in the company in the near future. "Growing up nobody pushed sports to me, nobody," he explains. @NakobeDean decided to to study engineering in college after visiting VA hospitals with his mother, who is a veteran. 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. The award honors faculty who have demonstrated an outstanding record of research achievements and publications during academic year 2021-2022 . You have to remember, he didnt even go through spring ball with us this past year because of injury. But what many people didnt hear a lot about was his classroom smarts. He understands things he gets it, and he plays super fast.. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/draft/free/stories, at The 6-0, 225 lb. There, she stood not just handing things out but talking to people about whatever was going on in their lives. Our back is really fast and that play shouldve gone for at least 20. Through Neketta's experience and their planning, the Deans have been able to establish a synergy between the NIL deals and the things they want to do with the money. Dean, of course, is not alone in this endeavor. Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba praises God after record-setting Rose Bowl I feel like it helps with the mental intensity of everything just because its a lot to be a mechanical engineering major and also be a football player, Dean told The Athletic. 1 state ranking and the 2018 MHSAA Class 6A State title, the first in Horn Lakes history2018 Mississippi Mr. Football for Class 6A2018 National Lineman of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Atlantahad 175 total tackles, along with 26 tackles for loss, seven sacks, three INTs and two forced fumbles as a senioralso had nine TDs as an RB for the Eaglesselected to represent the Team Elite team in Nikes The Opening 2018 Finalstallied 147 total stops, 25 TFLs and nine sacks as a juniorracked up 438 total tackles, 61.5 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, six INTs and 12 total TDs in his Horn Lake careeralso competed on varsity baseball, basketball and track teams at different points in high school. Throughout his time at Georgia, Dean has thanked and praised God. A lot a lot. It was the defense who kept us in this game, said that former walk-on, QB Stetson Bennett, in his postgame press conference, while we were stumbling over our own feet the entire first half and then starting out in the second half. Dean was the leader of that unit. Deans presence is critical for Georgias defense. I feel like I bring that winning mentality and that leadership to whatever team, and that passion and that energy that I play with.". Dean finished 2019 with 25 total tackles and played in all 14 games. He tackles with perfect form. Nakobe Dean still has a couple semesters left to complete his mechanical engineering degree at Georgia.He still has a desire to finish it and maybe even pre-med for all the right reasons.Deans mother is a veteran of the United States military.While Dean grew up, he saw how often she visited the VA and spoke with disabled veterans.Those interactions shaped what Nakobe Dean wants to study and build a career around even, potentially, while he plays football in the NFL.Growing up, it was going to be engineer, doctor or architect. Check out the latestepisode of theNext Pats Podcaston the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, orwatch on YouTubebelow: Georgia LB Nakobe Dean explains why he'd thrive with Patriots. He joined Phil Perry on a new episode of the Next Pats Podcast to share why he'd benefit any team that takes a chance on him in the draft. Dean's mother once referred to him as a "math wiz," recalling a time when he entered a math competition and won it. Dean sizzled in a Georgia defense arguably consisting of seven or eight first-round-worthy prospects last season as he collected 72 tackles, a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss, a second-most six sacks, 31 quarterback hurries, six pass breakups and a second-most two interceptions. Life is busier. His closing speed is tremendous. Jelani Woods is an athletic marvel - can he succeed in the NFL? "Trust me, this won't be the last time we're back here," she says. He narrowed his choices to engineering and pre-med because of his interest in prosthetics. Not even the gargantuan demands of a NFL career. Dean is ready to tour RWDC, a biotechnology facility just 10 minutes outside downtown Athens, with 10 local kids, his mother, Neketta, and his girlfriend, Gabby. He can be found with a book in his hand before going to bed, too. He and his mother praised God for being in such a situation. They seem to have the same philosophy (as Georgia) when it comes to playing defense, when it comes to playing football.". A young boy says the words quietly like he's trying not to get caught. "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.". ", Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. Georgia's Nakobe Dean breaks up a pass, Jan. 10, 2022. Forget his 40-time and bench press. The star linebacker was a straight-A student throughout his high school career. Neketta, who worked for . We take a humble approach and we are thankful to have any invites to go play anywhere.. Currently working as a Mechanical Engineer at Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners). 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. "None of this would have been possible or as impactful without the five to 10 NIL deals he has," Neketta says. From figuring out where the money is coming from, to where it's going and how it'll be taxed, to balancing it with all other requirements, football or not, players have realized they need a plan. Engineering, for me, I feel like I want to work in prosthetics growing up, my mom is a veteran so she used to always go to the VA [Veterans Affairs] and everything, and I used to see like veterans who had lost limbs and everything, so I just thought at a young age like whats a way I can help them and build like prosthetics and things like that and it kind of came back out when I was picking my major for college.. "I got the trophy the day after we lost the SEC Championship so it was kind of like a bittersweet feeling," he said. "You gotta be committed and you gotta do it selflessly.". Chris Simms' 2022 NFL Draft top five quarterbacks. Indications continue to pour in that the Eagles got the steal of the 2022 NFL draft in Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean. Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nakobe Dean finished the 2020 college football season as Georgia's leading tackler. The Eagles announced the jersey numbers for their five rookies prior on the first day of minicamp. "We can't be giving that to people. 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? In the past, No. Competed in football, baseball, basketball and track in high school. Dean's performance on the field is All-American worthy. "So if he's going to have to pay most of the NIL money back, why not use it to give in a different way?". The 2020 Butkus Award semifinalist was the Bulldogs' leading tackler last season with 71 stops, including a team-high seven tackles in the win over No. 2020: Semifinalist for the Butkus Award, which recognizes the nations best linebackermade great progress in his second seasonstarted all 10 games and played 76 percent of Georgias total defensive snaps in the regular season, tops among linebackersthe Bulldogs' leading tacklerwith 71 total stops and 13 QB pressurescareer-high 15 tackles vs. Florida, 14 stops in the Bulldogs' win at Kentucky and 12 more in victory over Mississippi Stateteam-high seven stopsin Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win over Cincinnatialso had four QB pressures vs. the Bearcatsone of his seven tackles was a key 2nd-down stop on UC's final drivehad four tackles and a QB pressure in win over Auburnthree solo stops and a QB pressure vs. Tennesseeled team in tackles with a then-career-best seven stops, including an assisted tackle for a 2-yard loss vs. Arkansasalso credited with two QB pressures vs. the Razorbackshad five stops, including a QB sack for a 7-yard loss, and three QB pressures vs. Alabamaearned a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll for Fall 2020. Stakes are higher. 17 would have been able to visit the engineering facility, make informal connections and even get the ball rolling on the idea of an internship program once he made it to the NFL. Dean says later that night. The latest Eagles news straight to your inbox! I feel like I definitely enjoy talking ball with them. 17; sixth-round linebacker Kyron Johnson gets No. I had to thank God, he said in his postgame press conference. Those doubled once Georgia got to No. Georgia was second in total defense (254.4 yards per game) and ranked third nationally in passing yards allowed (172.7 yards per game) and in rushing defense (81.7 yards per game) in the regular season. You work to the end, we saw all the hard work we put in work out.". (Dean) ran with him stride for stride and then makes the tackle in open space. Dean's mother is a veteran of the United States military. ATHENS, Ga. -- Nakobe Dean's eyes are glued to the TV above him. Dean will fall below some of the size thresholds that certain teams have at linebacker, especially with a linebacker in the first round, but his key, read and flow skills are outstanding with the open-field instincts to impact the game in different ways, said The Athletics NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler. Make sure to follow along onTwitter(@DawgsHQ), onFacebookand onYouTubefor all the Dawg news you need now! Dean has been recognized for his performance as a Butkus Award semifinalist and a midseason All-American by ESPN and CBS Sports. As a senior, Dean racked up 175 tackles, seven sacks, three interceptions, and scored nine touchdowns at running back. "This is a kid who won a math competition in sixth grade that I didn't even know he had entered. Without any structured oversight from the NCAA and loose restrictions varying from state to state, the world of NIL has become, in the words of one marketing agent, the Wild West. In the midst of all the hoopla, Dean still can't turn off the part of his brain that gravitates toward the ball. Flashes of quick feet and closing speed are elite. "Growing up, I was always able to understand the little stuff coaches wanted me to do on certain plays quicker than most.". It's why he eventually wants to start a scholarship at his high school, and use his engineering degree to make prosthetics for athletes who need them. But for now, players are able to transition to the pros with some experience, knowledge, connections and at least some money on their side. Brad Boyette, Dean's high school coach at Horn Lake High in Mississippi, remembers showing up to the annual practice the high school would hold with the eighth-graders from the local middle school and being immediately taken by Dean's ability to pick up not just drills, but coverages that would normally take kids at his level a few days of practice. "Growing up, my mother, it was always education, education, education. After all, he was once that kid at the local Boys & Girls Club going on field trips like the ones he took the kids from Athens on, taking everything in and wondering who he could one day be. It definitely allowed us to put some checks in the linebackers hands where they could make certain adjustments based on formations. He plans on majoring in either chemical or mechanical engineering in college. As Dean stands at the advent of a new era for college athletes, he is playing out an ideal year in Athens. Bruce Feldman is the National College Football Insider for The Athletic. "We gotta check the dates on the cans, and if the cans have dents, throw them out," she says. 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. 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. But things are indeed different now. I feel like I'll do whatever I need to do to be great and be one of the greatest ever to do it. Defeat to Alabama in the SEC Championship was softened not only by his individual accolade but also a standout semi-final performance in which he logged seven tackles, two for loss, one sack, five pressures and a forced fumble against Michigan. Looks like I have a new favorite player . He'll be a leader on the Eagles' defense. This seeming omnipresence has been there from the beginning, and it's easy for Dean and those around him to draw a line from the way his brain works in the classroom to how it does on the field. Just things like that kind of help me basically -- it's like a puzzle piece, you kind of put it together and it definitely helps me out a lot.". Its also going to be such an added luxury to have Dean going through the whole NFL experience with Jordan Davis, his good friend and former college teammate at Georgia. And the 2021 Butkus Award Winner won the first day by supplying one of the most memorable answers ever given by a rookie. For players like Dean, NIL has added another dimension to their college experience. He is also a mechanical engineering major with a 4.0 GPA. I'd get his exams back and it would be 27 out of 27 correct. Dean could miss the entire 2022 season, but the risk was worth the reward for the Eagles. Nakobe Dean still has a couple semesters left to complete his mechanical engineering degree at Georgia. Thats not something he would shy away from. "But as far as everything in the classroom translating to everything on the field, I feel like the study habits and retaining information helps me because it's just like me trying to study certain equations and everything or how to do a certain problem. Thats something Ive got to earn and get that trust from them.. Dean, Channing Tindall, Trezmen Marshall, Rian Davis and Mekhail Sherman are Georgias returning inside linebackers. I'm most intrigued by Dean's Wonderlic score when he goes through the draft process. "Some kids mature early and they're physically ready, but there's no way they can handle the playbook and the calls and all the things that are going on," Boyette says. First-round defensive tackle Jordan Davis will wear No. As the Deans walk outside, the woman from the shelter turns to another man who's standing by the door. Nakobe Dean just made history as Georgia's second ever Butkus award winner. There are hundreds of canned goods sprawled out on a table outside of the Boys & Girls Club in Athens from the watch party the night before. Dean, who is a mechanical engineering major, slips on . 90. He is expected to return for the start of summer practice and the 2021 season. Smartville is a rapidly growing renewable energy company located in sunny Carlsbad, CA. Head coach Nick Sirianni only got see Dean for a few snaps on Friday. His contribution will help upkeep the bed, food and showers for one individual for two months. I faced a lot of adversity from an academic standpoint there are a lot of goals that I set that I wasnt able to attain, but it does nothing but make me stronger., Dean arrived at Georgia wanting to become a doctor but also had a strong interest in pursuing mechanical engineering. He sees that part of his skill set translating to the gridiron. Dean views his service as a natural byproduct of where he has ended up. THE FOLLOWING DAY, a few hours before the turkey giveaway, the Deans are back at the homeless shelter. "I know. "But to have both at that age, that has only happened to me one time, and it was with Nakobe.". UGA football's Nakobe Dean receives NFL player comparisons Share this article James Morgan Dean has impressive instincts, football intelligence and is extremely fast. In design, the emphasis is on project work and in both the first and second years, you . currently has a 3.55 grade-point average in mechanical engineering at . It was a unique situation where you felt like he could handle the cerebral piece as well as whats on paper, but it also translated to the field because hes very instinctual. Dean has great instincts and speed, but he missed Georgias spring practice in 2021 with a torn labrum. 2021: AP & Coaches All-SEC 1st TeamSEC Defensive Player of the Year by Pro Football Focus (PFF)one of four permanent team captains, as voted by teammatessemifinalist for the 2021 Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the outstanding defensive player of the yearalso a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which goes annually to college footballs Defensive Player of the Year but also gives equal weight to personal characternamed captain of the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, chosen for their commitment to community servicestarted at ILB in all 15 games and finished the season with 72 total tacklesled the Bulldogs in tackles for loss with 10.5 and was second on team in QB sacks (6.0)also finished with 31 QB hurries and six pass breakupssecond on team with two INTsnamed to Mid-Season All-America Team by The Sporting Newsstat line in Capital One Orange Bowl win over Michigan: 7 tackles, 2.0 TFL (ties career best), 1.0 QB sack, 5 QB Pressures (career high), 1 Forced Fumbleoutstanding in win at Tennessee, leading the team with 11 tackles (1 QB sack), a forced fumble and a pass breakuphad five tackles, two QB pressures and his first career interception in win at #18 Auburnseven tackles (including one in punt coverage) and a pick-six for a 50-yard TD return in win over Floridaseven tackles in win over #11 Kentucky, including a stop for a 5-yard loss on a Wildcat screen passnamed one of three team captains for the Kentucky and Tennessee gameshad five tackles, including a pair of QB sacks for -14 yards in Georgias win over #3 Clemsonalso had four QB hurries vs. the Tigersincluded on pre-season watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Award, given annually to the nations top collegiate defensive playeralso on pre-season watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, which goes to the player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievementpre-season All-SEC Third Team, as voted by the leagues 14 head coaches. 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