Nakobe Dean addresses how he handles managing football, 4.0 GPA

Georgia‘s Nakobe Dean did not take the easy way out. Both on the football field and in the classroom.

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. He is also a mechanical engineering major with a 4.0 GPA. That’s not a combination that lends itself to a lot of free time or a “normal” college experience.

“Well, it’s hard,” Dean said earlier this week of his day-to-day routine. “I am not going to try to shoot the (indiscernible). It’s been a lot of long nights. A lot of times where I don’t get that much sleep. But you have to try to find your balance.

“There’s a lot of things before you get to college they say that you can do in the recruiting thing because they want to get you, of course. And then it’s, like, you get here, it’s way harder than they probably made it appear. But that’s college. That’s life. That’s growing up. That’s maturing.”

While many of the Georgia players are from nearby, Dean does not fall into that category. He hails from Horn Lake, Miss., which is over six hours and nearly 450 miles from Athens. The distance forced Dean to become an adult the moment he left home.

“And I feel like the things that I tackled in college from a time-management standpoint and just a real-world standpoint, leaving home and everything has prepared me on and off the field greatly, has matured me into the young man I am today,” Dean added.

The 2021 Butkus Award winner will get to put his skills on display a final time before he has the opportunity to head to the NFL. He is currently the Bulldogs leader in tackles (68) and sacks (six). Dean has an additional five passes defended, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and a touchdown.

The defenseman has not had one huge game, but he has instead been a constant threat to defenses; just once this year did the junior reach double-digit tackles. Five of his tackles and two of his defended passes this season came against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

If Georgia is going to end their 0-4 curse under head coach Kirby Smart against there Tide, Dean will need to have a huge game. The game kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, and Georgia remains a 2.5-point favorite in the rematch.