Skip to main content
Join
Team Avatar
Georgia

Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean wins Butkus Award

On3 imageby:Tyler Mansfield•12/05/21•

TMansfieldMedia

georgia-bulldogs-linebacker-nakobe-dean-wins-butkus-award
Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean has been announced as the winner of the 2021 Butkus Award, which is given annually to the top linebacker in college football.

A junior inside linebacker out of Horn Lake, Mississippi, Dean – a former five-star recruit in the On3 Consensus – has put together a strong season for the Bulldogs, recording 61 total tackles to go along with 8.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and two interceptions.

Dean’s success this year comes after he had a dominant campaign as a sophomore in 2020, finishing that season with 71 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. As a freshman in 2019, Dean made 25 tackles with a forced fumble.

After Saturday’s SEC championship loss to Alabama, Dean and now-No. 3 ranked Georgia will face off against No. 4 Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl on Friday, Dec. 31 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, with ESPN carrying the national broadcast.

Georgia ranked No. 3 in College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff top four has officially been set. Following conference championship weekend, the committee has gathered and come to a final decision on which four teams will be playing for a national championship this season. The results from the weekend resulted in some major changes in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

3. Georgia Bulldogs (12-1, SEC runner-up)

Georgia came into conference championship weekend looking unbeatable. The Bulldogs had blown out every team that they faced. Georgia’s closest game of the season was Week 1 against Clemson. But Alabama was Georgia’s toughest test of the season, by a wide margin, and Alabama was able to roll by the Bulldogs. Prior to the loss, Georgia hadn’t given up more than 17 points in a game all season. But Alabama cruised to a 41-24 victory. Georgia sat atop the rankings for the majority of the season and remain in the College Football Playoff top four, just not in the same slot that they were hoping for.