5-star Nakobe Dean gives UGA an ideal LB for the spread era

Dean can mash and make difficult tackles in space.

Five-star Horn (Miss.) linebacker Nakobe Dean will play his college football at GEorgia, he announced during the Early Signing Day on Wednesday.

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.

He had more than 40 offers and was a high-priority target at a handful of SEC schools, including Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M.

His addition further entrenches the Dawgs as the No. 2 class this cycle behind Alabama.

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.

He’s a great fit for UGA, as Dawg Sports explains:

Anyone who watched Georgia’s run defense when Monty Rice was out this season should recognize that the scheme works a lot better when you have a guy who’s capable of tackling everyone and everything in the middle third of the field instantly.

Dean is that kind of ranger/linebacker. He’s physical, has a great nose for the ball, and yet (like Roquan) is also agile enough to play in space and cover.

Dean is likely a 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 felt good about its chances. For that reason, his destination was uncertain until now.

He visited so many top schools. And when he visited, he and his family asked smart questions.

They came prepared, I’ve been told, and asked not only about a school’s strengths, but also about its rumored weaknesses. And schools knew the Deans would ask tough questions, and were ready with answers.

Dean doesn’t say much, but what he did say had colleges feeling hopeful. And that is what also made 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), felt they have at least some shot, the late buzz surrounded Bama, 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 was a draw to staying close to home, a lot of the recruiting community thought that was a smokescreen.