With Nakobe Dean, you’d be hard-pressed to find another Georgia player—perhaps going back for years—from whom so much is expected in year two, following a true freshman season of limited playing time.
Dean saw only 245 snaps in 2019, ranking 17th of all Georgia defenders. Yet the sophomore inside linebacker was recently selected preseason, second-team All-SEC by the league’s coaches. Notably, he was one of only six players chosen to the 55-man first and second teams, who weren't considered starters a year ago.
Such high expectations in 2020 for the 6-foot, 220-pound Dean start with the head Bulldog of them all.
“[Dean] has made himself a better player. He came in a really polished, really well-coached player—and he’s only gotten better in our system,” head coach Kirby Smart said this week. “I expect him to have a really good year and be a successful player for us.”
Highly touted out of Horn Lake, Mississippi, Dean came to Georgia last year after ranking as the No. 31 overall prospect, including No. 1 inside linebacker, for the 2019 class. As a Bulldog last season, he never saw more than 26 defensive snaps in 14 games—yet managed 25 tackles, a forced fumble, two pass breakups, and five quarterback pressures
This season, Dean is expected to flourish—and with good reason. Georgia’s likely starter at Will linebacker, he has been widely recognized for his intelligence—both on and off the field—since he stepped on campus. His ability to comprehend the intricacies of the Bulldogs’ defensive schemes has been distinguished since the start of fall camp.
“Nakobe, he’s special. For him to be that young, and pick up on stuff the way he does—like, I think I’m pretty smart but, you know, he’s on another level,” said senior Monty Rice, who is expected to start at Georgia’s inside linebacker position opposite of Dean. “You know, Nakobe is an engineer, so he’s a different type of dude.”
Indeed, after earning a 4.3 GPA in high school and scoring a noteworthy 27 on the ACT, Dean is an academic honor-roll student as a mechanical engineering major at Georgia—one of only two members of the football team (senior Daniel Gothard the other) currently majoring in the field.
On the gridiron, if there was something Dean knowingly needed to improve upon this year, it was his leadership—even though he was just entering his second season in the program.
“Last year, I knew I had to step into a leadership position this year. That’s one thing I had to step up my game in, and I’ve just been pushing myself,” Dean said this week. “Holding people accountable is the thing I’ve done since high school. Last year, I didn’t do it probably as much as I should, but I want [my teammates] to hold me accountable, so I have to hold them accountable.”
Performing at the caliber of an all-conference player, while being a team leader—and as a mere sophomore—may seem like lofty expectations for most. However, beginning with Arkansas in Fayetteville this Saturday, Dewan is simply excited to finally play football, and to play against someone other than his own teammates. From there, everything else should fall nicely into place for the very skilled, heady Bulldog linebacker.
“I feel like the emotions are going to be crazy. Everybody is going to be excited,” Dean said regarding this Saturday’s game. “We’re ready to hit somebody else besides us.”
