Kayvon Thibodeaux's NFL fate is a mystery - but why? He is expected to return for the start of summer practice and the 2021 season. He and his mother praised God for being in such a situation. "I've had meetings with the Patriots. Dean's performance on the field is All-American worthy. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. The 6-0, 225 lb. What schools have the most players invited to the 2023 NFL combine? I have the passion to learn new things daily. You can find out more about which cookies we are using in ourPrivacy Policy. It's unmatched not just on the field, but in life. The potential is, too -- along with the money. "So I used that, I actually wanted to go into the field of prosthetics with it. You have to remember, he didnt even go through spring ball with us this past year because of injury. So my mother instilled it in me at a young age and it stuck with me.". Second-round center Cam Jurgens will wear No. In me Element #WBTG #ThankGod pic.twitter.com/m548jSFoVz, Nakobe Dean (@NakobeDean) October 19, 2021, All glory to God #WBTG #KODEAN pic.twitter.com/04BQGN48l1, Nakobe Dean (@NakobeDean) December 27, 2019. Sports Alley. When it came to numbers, he always had the right answer.". And the money from other smaller deals or matching by companies, including his agency, have allowed Neketta to also do what she does best: more. Sept. 26, 2020; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) looks in the Arkansas Razorbacks backfield during the second quarter at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Dean's mother is a veteran of the United States military. Young threw for 369 yards and a touchdown, but he also tossed two interceptions his first collegiate game with multiple picks the second of which was returned 79 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory for the Bulldogs. "I have had no D1 athletes on that side of my family, nobody go to school or college to play sport so it was all education growing up, it was never the thought of getting school paid for through sports. Nakobe Dean took his official visit to the University of Alabama this weekend and was thoroughly impressed. The 6-foot, 225-pounder also was a Mechanical Engineering major at Georgia. Nakobe Dean has a 3.55 GPA in mechanical engineering at Georgia. As a 15-year-old, he could hang with 18-year-olds physically and gain an edge mentally with the way he viewed the game. * 5 QB Pressures vs. Michigan, 2021 "Growing up, my mother, it was always education, education, education. I feel like I definitely enjoy talking ball with them. After practice, he eats, studies, works out, and sometimes hits the books again. @NakobeDean decided to to study engineering in college after visiting VA hospitals with his mother, who is a veteran. He'll be reunited with defensive tackle Jordan Davis in Philadelphia, who the Eagles selected at No. He still has a desire to finish it - and maybe even pre-med - for all the right reasons. "You're not getting rich off community service," Neketta says. Head of Mechanical Engineering . 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.. (Links below Apple listeners tap here)He practically gave his body to help Georgia win the title last season.I even wrote that his leadership skills and engineering prowess made him the Tony Stark of Georgia footballs National Championship defense.But I had no idea how accurate those passions are. "Surreal family, a feeling that was second to none. Now, though, Dean can do all of those things and actually start and help fund internships for student-athletes right away, while also discussing the possibility of investing in the company in the near future. We put our running back in fast motion and threw him a swing screen. . View Nakobe Dean's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Nakobe Dean just made history as Georgia's second ever Butkus award winner. Don't miss a story! 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. He ended up choosing Georgia, and now has a national title to add to his accolades. "I feel like we're going to be happy for each other because we know each other," said Dean. A mechanical engineering major, Dean carries a 3.55 grade point average. After Georgia won its national semifinal matchup over Michigan to advance to the national title game, Dean was asked what it would be like for a boy from Horn Lake to play for a national championship. The first two years provide a good grounding in the broad fundamentals of mechanical engineering science and engineering design. Change of direction is typically good. "I hope to bring the winning mentality," he said. *** Captain, 2021 AFCA Good Works Team ***. 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. I'm most intrigued by Dean's Wonderlic score when he goes through the draft process. Life is busier. "I feel good about it just because I always knew I wanted to establish myself as the best linebacker in college football, it was one of my goals for the season. The award honors faculty who have demonstrated an outstanding record of research achievements and publications during academic year 2021-2022 . Mechanical engineering emerged as the winner. Once she had kids of her own and had to raise them as a single mom, Neketta worked long hours as the director of community affairs in Tunica County, Mississippi. 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. Dean has the potential to be the best linebacker to wear midnight green since Jeremiah Trotter. "He's a great player, I like the way he was versatile, he's got the size to be an outside backer and rush off the edge, but also take a step back and be a middle linebacker, so his versatility speaks volumes," he said. "I want to be able to get picked as high as I possibly can, it's been one of my dreams to be drafted to the NFL so I do want to get picked as high as I can, I can only control what I can control, though," he said. "You had police pulling Black people over for no reason," she says. "For us, [NIL] hasn't really been about making money, it's about using this platform to help others.". Ever since the NCAA approved name, image and likeness deals for college athletes in June, the money has been moving in broad daylight. "You do all kind of crazy workouts, it would get to the point where the workout would be so crazy you're questioning 'why are we working out like this?'. Along with his smarts, Dean believes he can bring plenty more to an NFL locker room. LB Nakobe Dean Before he was drafted 83rd by the Eagles in the 2022 NFL Draft, Nakobe Dean was a student-athlete, maintaining both an impressive 3.55 GPA in mechanical engineering and a reputation as college football's best linebacker. "Because we only went over it one time.". Brad Boyette, Dean's high school coach at Horn Lake High in Mississippi, remembers showing up to the annual practice the high school would hold with the eighth-graders from the local middle school and being immediately taken by Dean's ability to pick up not just drills, but coverages that would normally take kids at his level a few days of practice. He's a 4.0 GPA engineering majorhe's one of the premier linebackers in all of college footballand here he is with kip-up in full pads Nakobe Dean is ELITE! 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. I used to see veterans who lost limbs and everything. 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. The Bulldogs' defense was arguably the best in the nation in 2021, led by Dean as the leader of the unit. He's smart-smart, but more importantly for the Eagles, football smart. UGA football's Nakobe Dean receives NFL player comparisons Share this article James Morgan Dean has impressive instincts, football intelligence and is extremely fast. "I didn't think the safety would remember that was coming," Dean told Boyette. Throughout his time at Georgia, Dean has thanked and praised God. In the past, No. Copyright University of Georgia Wire 2023. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. The defending Super Bowl champions Los Angeles Rams have released a Hollywood-style trailer ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. Dean graduated high school with a 4.3 GPA and carried a 3.55 GPA in mechanical engineering at Georgia. On a particular key play in that game, he recognized the motion the quarterback made and broke from his position to cover a surprise wheel route pass perfectly. One of the sports leading voices, he also is a sideline reporter for FOX College Football. 83 overall. #Eagles rookie LB Nakobe Dean said he will be a full participant during the team's rookie minicamp this . #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/bSaLVoyDyX, RELATED: Brock Bowers' 88-Yard TD Proved Georgia's Freshman Tight End is Special. Adding Nakobe Dean to a weekend that already included Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens . MechSE professor Katie Matlack was named one of this year's recipients of The Grainger College of Engineering Dean's Award for Excellence in Research. "That's Kobe Dean," she tells him. "Words can't describe how proud I am, just coming where I come from, growing up that's all we talked about, being able to make it out and then come back and give back to my community so I do look forward to going back whenever I can," he says. 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. Dean shares how the experience of interviewing with teams has gone and what those teams are saying to him about what they envision his role will be in the league. Dean's mother once referred to him as a "math wiz," recalling a time when he entered a math competition and won it. Against Michigan in the Orange Bowl, Dean was a nightmare for the Wolverines offense, making seven tackles, two TFLs, a sack and a career-high five QB pressures, blowing up one play after another. It definitely allowed us to put some checks in the linebackers hands where they could make certain adjustments based on formations. He was a full participant at practice, too, showing no signs of wear and tear from a reported chest sprain that caused him to plummet from a sure-fire Round 1 pick to a surprise third-rounder. 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