5-star LB Nakobe Dean will give an SEC school a unique talent

Will Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, or another SEC school land Dean? It looks that way now.

Sometime in the 2 p.m. hour Wednesday on ESPNU, an SEC West school (probably) will pick up a commitment from a truly elite linebacker. That is when five-star Horn (Miss.) linebacker Nakobe Dean will announce his choice.

And he’ll have quite the choice to make. Dean has more than 40 offers and will ultimately attend a school in the SEC. He is giving legitimate consideration to Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M.

Dean is widely considered one of the best 25 players in the nation, and is the No. 1 linebacker in the country on the 247Sports Composite.

Before we get into Dean’s decision, let’s take a look at his game.

First, Dean has something all great linebackers have: nastiness. He arrives with bad intentions and looks to punish ball-carriers.

But plenty of linebackers want to be punishing tacklers. In the spread era, when linebackers have to play in space, wanting to punish is not enough. A player has to have the right combination of instincts, intelligence, and the ability to get to a spot in order to lay a hit.

Dean has all three of those elements. He has an understanding for how plays develop, reads the flow of the play well, and has the athleticism to get to the ball.

He is also plenty physical taking on blockers and can hold his own in the passing game.

Whoever gets Dean is getting a likely multi-year starter if he stays healthy.

He was an Opening finalist and got picked in the Under Armour All-America Game.

They’re also getting an excellent student. Dean claims a 4.7 GPA. He is from a strict family that values education. He’d like to be an engineer.

That physical ability, plus smarts and drive is why Dean garnered so much attention.

Every time Dean visits a school, a program feels good about its chances.

Figuring out where Dean is going, however, is tough. He has visited so many top schools. And when he visits, he and his family ask smart questions.

They come prepared, I’ve been told, and ask not only about a school’s strengths, but also about its rumored weaknesses. And schools know the Deans will ask tough questions, and are ready with answers.

Dean doesn’t say much, but what he does say has colleges feeling hopeful. And that is what also makes his recruitment tough to read.

He took official visits to Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, and Texas A&M, and took numerous unofficial visits to Ole Miss, which is close to his home.

While all of those schools, with the exception of potentially Texas A&M (per a source), feel they have at least some shot, the late buzz surrounds Alabama, Georgia, and perhaps Ole Miss.

Dean threw up the Ole Miss Landshark signal after making a big tackle in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game earlier this week. But while there is a draw to staying close to home, a lot of the recruiting community thinks that is a smokescreen.

Would he really pick a program like Ole Miss over powers Alabama and Georgia?

I don’t think so. I expect it will be either the Tide or Bulldogs.

Anywhere else will be a surprise, but not a shock, because Dean has done a good job of playing his cards close to the vest.