We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. "The visit was great," Dean said. Associated Press, Walter Camp, AFCA, Sporting News, USA Today, ESPN, The Athletic, CBS ***. ", Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. "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. It was a tall task, but the Bulldogs' chances rode on their top . When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Nakobe Dean, they knew about his hard-nosed playing style and confident leadership. "We don't want people going home with seven peanut butters," Neketta says. As a mechanical engineering student with a 4.0 GPA, hes also the play-caller for the defense and a projected first-round NFL draft pick. On the field, Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean is having himself a career-defining season. "My mom said I would have loved it.". 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. They'd go to nursing homes and bring gifts and spend time playing games with those there. 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. "We were at the forefront of it. Even though the purpose of this trip is for Dean to show the kids a little more about engineering in hopes of one day improving diversity in the field, it's Dean who is the kid in a candy shop. Thibodeaux had numerous NIL deals including his own NFT and cryptocurrency. First-round defensive tackle Jordan Davis will wear No. 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. They would volunteer at the homeless shelters and partake in community cleanups or, in the case of Dean, volunteer at the local youth football program when he was in high school. It's just like trying to learn the playbook. The Dean kids would not only shadow their mom through her endeavors, but get involved, too. 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. "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. You cant treat everybody the same way as far as getting on them, so of course, Ive got to come in, earn my respect. Copyright University of Georgia Wire 2023. 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, Channing Tindall, Trezmen Marshall, Rian Davis and Mekhail Sherman are Georgias returning inside linebackers. Dean, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.5 GPA, was the first name . Dean valued academics as much as competing for a national championship when choosing his college destination. 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. . Mechanical engineering emerged as the winner. It was never sports. Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports, Sign up for the University of Georgia Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. This meant every time there was a community event, everyone knew Neketta's kids would be there. 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 . "That instinct is just in me now.". Deans measurables in Indianapolis were modest by NFL linebacker standards: 5-foot-11, 229 pounds with 31 7/8-inch arms, but his film is elite. He understands things he gets it, and he plays super fast.. 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. Why is NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks is looking forward to watching Georgia CB Kelee Ringo and Georgia TE Darnell Washington? As the 19th-best player in the class of 2019, Dean had his pick of the litter when it came to college football programs. Competed in football, baseball, basketball and track in high school. We put our running back in fast motion and threw him a swing screen. Throughout his time at Georgia, Dean has thanked and praised God. . 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. Listed on 2023-02-18. Dean recorded 71 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season. David Gattie, a professor from @UGA_Engineering, because above all else, Dean wants to be an engineer. ", 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? 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. Can the Lions fix their defense? Michigan running back Blake Corum also donated turkeys during the Thanksgiving holiday to families in need. Editor's note: This story originally published on Dec. 29, 2021. But after a man walked up to her asking for money for blankets ahead of the cold front, she took the leftover money from NIL deals and, with Dean's approval, bought blankets and Chick-fil-A sandwiches and made hygiene packages to give out at the shelter. "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. Nakobe Dean has a 3.55 GPA in mechanical engineering at Georgia. . The latest Eagles news straight to your inbox! He thrives off a regimented schedule and loves to learn. At 8 years old, he was already thinking in percentages. The 2021 Butkus Award winner led the Bulldogs in tackles for loss with 10.5 and was second on the team in sacks with six. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Dean played the most snaps (76%) of any linebacker on Georgias roster last season. "None of this would have been possible or as impactful without the five to 10 NIL deals he has," Neketta says. Because of the NCAA's sudden decision to allow NIL deals, the educational aspect has been done on the fly. The guy works extremely hard and watches a lot of film, asks a lot of questions, but its truly the way the guy has been wired since his recruitment, said Lanning. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. The potential is, too -- along with the money. Nakobe Dean took his official visit to the University of Alabama this weekend and was thoroughly impressed. "For us, [NIL] hasn't really been about making money, it's about using this platform to help others.". You work to the end, we saw all the hard work we put in work out.". 51; and sixth-round tight end Grant Calcaterra gets No. Skip to main content . Rankings for the 2023 NFL draft: Top prospects at every position from Kiper, McShay, Miller, Reid, Kiper's new Big Board rankings for the 2023 NFL draft: Top 25 prospects, Syracuse QB Shrader to miss spring practice, Sources: Asst. Dean, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.5 GPA, was the first name mentioned when I asked one coach what was the most impressive interview hed done at the combine. Mechanical engineering emerged as the winner. 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.". . 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. 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. Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean is expected to go in the first-round of the Draft on Thursday night, Nakobe Dean and mother, Neketta Dean, left, during Georgia's Pro Day. Dean graduated high school with a 4.3 GPA and carried a 3.55 GPA in mechanical engineering at Georgia. "He's a math whiz," Neketta says. He has lived both sides of the one-percenter college-to-NFL threshold, school coming before football until the realisation he was pretty special in both departments. I even wrote that his leadership skills and engineering prowess made him the Tony Stark of Georgia footballs National Championship defense. "Canned food drives, I've done about a thousand of them. "I've had meetings with the Patriots. Head coach Nick Sirianni only got see Dean for a few snaps on Friday. Dean loves it. Dean has a serious drive to help others with his ingenuity and work ethic, and hes had it for quite some time.I feel like I want to work in prosthetics. He pulls one of the kids aside and tells him about how some of the machines work. "One of my goals next season is to establish myself as one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Within that, there would well be at least five first-rounders. Open up the Wikipedia page of his birth city Horn Lake and atop a seven-person list of 'notable people' is Nakobe Dean, recipient of the Butkus Award, which recognises the top linebacker in the nation, and College Football National Champion with Georgia. 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. Anytime somebody asks me that I kind of just talk about the passion I have for the game. 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