", As those on hand begin sifting through the cans, Neketta is organizing an assembly line in order to separate beans from soups and vegetables from mac and cheese. Dean helped Horn Lake High School win a 6A state championship as a senior. Dean has been recognized for his performance as a Butkus Award semifinalist and a midseason All-American by ESPN and CBS Sports. Dean valued academics as much as competing for a national championship when choosing his college destination. #FlyEaglesFly . Theres still a chance I might pursue pre-med if I feel like doing chemistry and everything when I get back to school., . "I feel like my mindset is second to none, unmatched. Dean has great instincts and speed, but he missed Georgias spring practice in 2021 with a torn labrum. Copyright University of Georgia Wire 2023. There, she stood not just handing things out but talking to people about whatever was going on in their lives. Instead, it was like a one-yard gain.. * 2.0 Tackles for Loss vs. four teams (recent: Michigan, 2021) Currently working as a Mechanical Engineer at Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners). "I feel like we're going to be happy for each other because we know each other," said Dean. Competed in football, baseball, basketball and track in high school. 51; and sixth-round tight end Grant Calcaterra gets No. >> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<. "And so I wanted them to see each other in a different environment.". Not amazing. Because of the NCAA's sudden decision to allow NIL deals, the educational aspect has been done on the fly. His reward was the Butkus Award as the best linebacker in college football. 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. 83 overall. . 51; third-round linebacker Nakobe Dean gets No. 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. Head coach Nick Sirianni only got see Dean for a few snaps on Friday. Advertisement. "They were community service kids," she says. Design/Web/Multimedia. *** 2021 Butkus Award Winner *** Heisman finalist C.J. Dean, who was projected as a first-round pick, fell amid concerns of the linebacker declining surgery on a severe pectoral strain while working out this offseason. "Because we only went over it one time.". The watch parties have become vehicles to get game tickets for local kids as well as the canned foods for families in need. Football . 10:57 pm ET, NFL combine burning questions: Young's size and more, C.J. Nakobe Dean was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 83rd overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Youd be on the phone with him and hed say, OK, Coach, I appreciate that, but I have to get off the phone and do my homework now. He has priorities. Dean left Georgia boasting a 3.5 GPA and has vowed to finish his mechanical engineering degree, which is roughly two semesters short of completion. "I feel like in high school they kind of asked that of me, to be able to cover running backs, to be able to cover receivers and stop the run and things of that sort, so when I got to college I got the same thing, but amplified, and I feel like in the league it will be the same thing," he said. I always tell them I want them to be better than me, not like me, better than me. Dean got his hat problem fixed really quick. Upon arriving at Georgia to focus on football he majored in mechanical engineering. Hell look to match previous defensive studs who wore that number like Corey Simons, Darren Howard, and Mike Golic. Dean, who is a mechanical engineering major, slips on a fluorescent green hard hat and tilts it forward just enough so that, somehow, it looks cooler on him than it does on anyone else in the room. The defending Super Bowl champions Los Angeles Rams have released a Hollywood-style trailer ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. Smart, speedy linebacker who reads plays in a hurry and attacks. His versatility will be attractive to NFL teams, and he may be a highly touted prospect in the 2022 NFL draft. Dean reported for Eagles rookie minicamp on Friday with a wide smile on his face. For a kid who used to walk around Horn Lake talking with his childhood friends about how they'd make it out, or one who saw his stipend money at Georgia as more money than he'd ever had, Dean is still wide-eyed about where he finds himself. Along with turkeys donated by Trader Joe's and Athens Market through another NIL partnership and a $100 shopping gift card coming directly from Dean's NIL earnings, they'll make a package that will be donated to a dozen families in need in the area. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. He'll be a leader on the Eagles' defense. Please check your email for a confirmation. 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. Getty As a senior, Dean racked up 175 tackles, seven sacks, three interceptions, and scored nine touchdowns at running back. As Dean got older, he realized that they too had been the beneficiaries of other people's service when he was younger. Deans presence is critical for Georgias defense. Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba praises God after record-setting Rose Bowl Dean's values were instilled by his mother Neketta at a young age. Dont be surprised if Dean is running someones defense as a rookie. I suspect it'll be pretty high. He boasts the best speed among linebackers in the 2022 class, and that's a quality New England certainly could use on the defensive side of the ball. As Dean stands at the advent of a new era for college athletes, he is playing out an ideal year in Athens. I feel like my passion is second to none and the effort I play with.". Don't miss a story! 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'. From providing food to the homeless, to street cleanups and more, Georgia LB Nakobe Dean, with the help of his mother, has made it a priority to give back to Athens and his hometown of Horn Lake, MS. Giving back has always been something near and dear to me.@sportsiren pic.twitter.com/YU4wwIM4rA, ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 10, 2022. But on Monday night, the Bulldogs held the Tide to just 399 total yards and only 30 rushing yards. He is also a mechanical engineering major with a 4.0 GPA. Anytime somebody asks me that I kind of just talk about the passion I have for the game. 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 . We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. 13 overall. Hes living up to his billing as a five-star recruit. Georgia stifled Alabama and Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young, collecting a 33-18 victory for Georgias first football national championship since 1980. 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. "I can't look at football and not think, 'What was supposed to happen right there?' His pressure to the quarterback is excellent, generating 31 of them in 2021 -- sixth among linebackers in the nation. "I didn't think the safety would remember that was coming," Dean told Boyette. And to follow it up, Dean and Georgia avenged their earlier defeat by overpowering Nick Saban's Crimson Tide machine to win it all. ", "For 99.9% of these kids, it's not necessarily like life-changing money, so they have to understand they need to put half of it away for taxes," says Zach Soskin, who founded a management company that facilitates NIL deals for college athletes. Dean graduated high school with a 4.3 GPA and carried a 3.55 GPA in mechanical engineering at . Can counter negative plays on film with splash plays. He sends shivers down the quarterback's spine when he pursues a sack. My mom is a big Belichick fan," Dean said. 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. | Ahmed El Bannany . 90. . Not even the gargantuan demands of a NFL career. Dean finished 2019 with 25 total tackles and played in all 14 games. It's still going strong. Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) Georgia defensive back Mark Webb (23) Athens, GA - The #3-ranked University of Georgia football team defeated ArkansasState, 55-0, in a game played on Dooley . 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. Zach Berman (@ZBerm) April 30, 2022 From our NFL Draft coverage: Here are. #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/bSaLVoyDyX, RELATED: Brock Bowers' 88-Yard TD Proved Georgia's Freshman Tight End is Special. #Eagles rookie LB Nakobe Dean said he will be a full participant during the team's rookie minicamp this weekend. Dean loves it. 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. Change of direction is typically good. Fresh off football practice and film sessions, the Georgia linebacker is in the middle of Pauley's, a loud restaurant in downtown Athens. Stroud 2023 NFL Draft profile, scouting report, Jalen Carter 2023 NFL Draft profile, scouting report, Bryce Young 2023 NFL Draft profile, scouting report, Hunt Report: Small-college players to watch at combine, Eagles select Nakobe Dean: Three things to know, Bubble Watch: It's late, but they have a shot, Top DL prospect Carter tied to crash that killed teammate, Morant accused of punching teen, threatening security, NFLPA team report cards: Commanders fail; Vikes No. https://t.co/kFd8Bf0EUe @UGAAthletics. Those doubled once Georgia got to No. 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.. His closing speed is tremendous. With your DawgsHQ membership, youll not only have access to the goings on in Athens, but youll be able to peruse other fan sites within the On3 network to hear just how rivals are feeling about the Dawgs, as well. When Nakobe Dean was being recruited to @GeorgiaFootball, he met all sorts of important people. *** All-America First Team - Associated Press, Walter Camp, AFCA, Sporting News, USA Today, ESPN, The Athletic, CBS *** It's not necessarily going to be a 'phewww, I finally did it' type thing, but more for me like 'okay, now it's time to get to work'.". He got a grand tour of the program this weekend by non-other than Derek Karr, the dean of the University of Alabama . As a famous comedian once said, its not real life.But I couldnt help but notice one interaction in the replies to that video up above.Nakobe Dean will have every opportunity to thrive with the Philadelphia Eagles. Dean, of course, is not alone in this endeavor. "I've had meetings with the Patriots. David Gattie, a professor from @UGA_Engineering, because above all else, Dean wants to be an engineer. 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. That was enough to know what kind of player he has in his locker room. Career Highs Why is NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks is looking forward to watching Georgia CB Kelee Ringo and Georgia TE Darnell Washington? As bigger brands settle into the NIL game, boosters get more involved and players get more creative, the money is bound to get bigger, Soskin notes. After all, the junior linebacker has a 3.5 GPA while majoring in mechanical engineering for a reason. Dean played the most snaps (76%) of any linebacker on Georgias roster last season. Some programs have partnered with companies, while others have brought in speakers. He last received a B in his eighth-grade typing class. Stroud keeps God first as he leads Ohio State, College Football Playoff National Championship, Former NFL RB Peyton Hillis praises Yahweh, expected to make full recovery after swimming incident, SS PODCAST: NFL brothers Cody & Jacob Hollister on living for Jesus as pro athletes, WATCH: I ONCE WAS NFL Wife Kristin Young, TRANSFORMED PODCAST: Scott Hanson Host of NFL RedZone, Life in baseball teaches Gari Meacham to trust God and serve others, SS PODCAST: Oklahoma pitcher Jordy Bahl, coach JT Gasso on softball, faith, success, TABLE FORTY PODCAST: Reading through the Bible in a year - Week 9, Daily Devotional: Wednesday, March 1 - Leave It In The Past, Quincee Lilio baptized amid Oklahoma softball's culture of winning & faith. Nakobe Dean still has a couple semesters left to complete his mechanical engineering degree at Georgia. Much of Deans values were instilled by his mother, Neketta, who served for many years as a director of community affairs for the Tunica County sheriffs department near his hometown of Horn Lake, Mississippi. You cant treat everybody the same way as far as getting on them, so of course, Ive got to come in, earn my respect. 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. His versatility will be attractive to NFL teams, and he may be a highly touted . 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. Dean's biggest knock. 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 . As the hum of machines settles into the backdrop of pipes and giant vats set the scene, Dean studies samples of biodegradable straws and asks one of the company's founders questions about the process. Bruce has covered college football nationally for more than 20 years and is the author of numerous books on the topic, including "Swing Your Sword: Leading The Charge in Football and Life" with Mike Leach and most recently "The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks." Nakobe Dean (@NakobeDean) January 11, 2022. Before he does that, he figures to make a big impact on his new team. I thought at a young age, Dang, whats a way I could help them build prosthetics? It kind of came back out when I was picking my major for college.. jdecision21. Dean recorded 71 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season. He plans on majoring in either chemical or mechanical engineering in college. It wasn't about the money; Dean simply wanted to be the best in every avenue of his life. On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media, Inc. He also had 31 QB hurries, six pass breakups and two interceptions. And while it marks the end of an era, Dean insists the overwhelming emotion will be pride. Sometimes youre around a player that is book smart but maybe not football smart. You can adjust all of your cookie settings by navigating the tabs on the left hand side. Head of Mechanical Engineering . junior mechanical engineering major from Horn Lake, Miss., started all 12 regular season games in 2021 for the Bulldogs, which surrendered an average of just 6.9 points per game. The NFL Draft now awaits as a pick 'n' mix of Georgia superstars, with Dean joined by No 1-overall contender Travon Walker, defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, linebackers Quay Walker and Channing Tindall, safety Lewis Cine, wide receiver George Pickens, running back James Cook and offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer as those expected to be taken across three days. He didnt love the chemistry class he took, so he decided on mechanical engineering: I was interested in prosthetics, how they work and the design of them, so I just stuck to that.. He has been privy to the evolution of the off-ball linebacker and the added necessity to be able to join the line of scrimmage, operate off the edge, or retreat into coverage. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. 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. 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. . It definitely allowed us to put some checks in the linebackers hands where they could make certain adjustments based on formations. Linebacker Nakobe Dean is one of the primary reasons the Georgia defense has been a brick wall. Nakobe Dean took his official visit to the University of Alabama this weekend and was thoroughly impressed. * 2.0 QB Sacks vs. Clemson, 2021 Dubbed the "field general" by Georgia, the Bulldogs led the country in scoring defense (9.5 points per game) and red zone defense (60% of possessions resulted in scores) in the regular season. Dean was the only player in the nation with five sacks (had six sacks), two forced fumbles, and two interceptions in 2021. Bruce Feldman is the National College Football Insider for The Athletic. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel), mechanical engineering student with a 4.0 GPA, Alabama QB Bryce Young wins Heisman, thanks his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Clemson QB D.J. Yeah, I can sense hes all ball all the time, whether we are in a meeting or on the field, hes locked in, Sirianni said. Brock Bowers' 88-Yard TD Proved Georgia's Freshman Tight End is Special, Georgia's Colors Were Almost Red, Black, andYellow. 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. Michigan running back Blake Corum also donated turkeys during the Thanksgiving holiday to families in need. That's my thing.". Oh, and that straight-A streak? The science subjects studied include thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, dynamics and electro-mechanical systems. "Canned food drives, I've done about a thousand of them. 17; sixth-round linebacker Kyron Johnson gets No. So, what else does Dean bring to the table? As the TV crew breaks down Tom Brady highlights -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing the New York Giants, who have two Georgia alums, J.R. Reed and Tae Crowder -- Dean watches intently. Settings by navigating the tabs on the fly by navigating the tabs the! Gpa while majoring in either chemical or mechanical engineering for a reason @ sportsiren pic.twitter.com/YU4wwIM4rA ESPN. Is Special, Georgia 's Freshman Tight end is Special with 25 total tackles and 1.5 last. On formations official visit to the quarterback is excellent, generating 31 of them hurry and attacks partnered with,! To Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where Sports and faith connect