Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean doesn’t believe in wasting time. That’s particularly true as it pertains to his preparation for his sophomore season next fall.

“I plan on hitting the ground running, start helping to get guys ready now,” Dean said. “I’m ready to get to work. I feel we’re going to attack it every day.”

With winter workouts already underway, one can certainly assume that Dean has already started to do just that.

Dean’s excited about what lies ahead.

“There’s no limit for this defense. The sky’s the limit, not only for me but this team,” he said. “As long as we stay together and work hard, we can do anything.”

Whatever success Georgia’s defense enjoys next fall, Dean figures to be right in the middle of it, figuratively and literally.

The Bulldogs received great news when Monty Rice announced he would return for his senior year. But there's an opening at the other inside linebacker spot with the graduation of Tae Crowder, and Dean would certainly appear to be the favorite to earn the job once spring practice gets underway in March.

“I just want to do anything I need to do,” Dean said. “I just want to be able to produce.”

Dean showed last fall that he’s certainly capable of doing just that.

Despite an early-season ankle injury that caused the Mississippi native to get off to a slow start, Dean finished the season strong for the Bulldogs. In 14 games, he led all of Georgia’s true freshman defenders with 25 tackles, five quarterback hurries, and one forced fumble.

In Georgia’s Sugar Bowl win over Baylor, Dean had one of the team’s five tackles for loss.

“I do think that the setback held him back some from being able to play every snap and also from getting the reps,” head coach Kirby Smart said of Dean earlier this year. “There was a brief time in there that he couldn’t get as many reps, and it probably hurt him there from a mental standpoint. But he’s picked that back up, and he’s working really hard and pleased with what he’s doing.”

As you might suspect, Dean doesn’t plan on resting on his laurels.

He wants to get faster; he wants to add weight to his 220-pound frame, and he wants to become the best player he can be.

“I’ve learned a lot, but there’s more I need to learn,” he said. “I’m very blessed to have this opportunity, but there’s more I need to do.”

Dean wasn’t the only Bulldog true freshman on defense to open some eyes.

Along with Dean, it’s not a stretch to think that outside linebacker Nolan Smith and defensive end Travon Walker will form a solid nucleus of sophomores for next season’s team to build around.

“Those guys are my roommates, so it’s pretty cool,” Dean said. “Those guys work really hard, too. We all want next season to be our best.”

The experience they received this year as freshmen was invaluable.

“It really was. All of the younger guys who got to play throughout the season, we got some good looks,” Dean said. “We started to play more, we started to learn more, so going into next season, we’re going to know the ins and out and what we need to do to get even better.”

There’s more.

“I plan on expanding my leadership role more,” he said. “I felt I led by my own way last year, but next year, I really want to build off of that.”