THE SITUATION

Nakobe Dean took his recruitment down to the wire. If he wouldn't have locked himself into announcing live on TV Wednesday afternoon, he may have put his decision off a little more.

At one time, it looked like Alabama had this one in the bag. The the chatter about Georgia and LSU took off. Auburn was in this for a good while too. Ole Miss was not a school many were looking at as a legit contender until just a week or so ago.

The Rebels took off though, and they really took over the buzz the last 24 hours or so. It was not over though.

There was talk about Georgia, a little about Alabama and LSU, and of course Ole Miss right up to minutes before his announced he is a Bulldog.

WHY ITS BIG FOR GEORGIA

Dean is the total package. Not only is he an elite linebacker, but he is an elite student in the classroom. He is a player others want to play along side. He will make others around him better. There is not many who handled the attention the way Dean did. He never let it get to him, he never got caught up in the hype and he just stayed humble.

As a player, the only real question is his size and length. He is a little shorter than most would like when talking five-star prospects, but he checks every other box. He is a very physical football player. He is explosive, he can play in space, he can blitz and he can play sideline to sideline. Dean is a player that will make an impact as soon as he steps foot on campus.

Kirby Smart wants to replace Roquan Smith and Dean could be that guy.

WHAT SCHOOLS IT HURTS MOST

Losing a player like Dean hurts anyone who put time into his recruitment. He is a leader and a player who could be a face of the program. Alabama is one school it hurts in a big way. Ole Miss is another one. Hard to put one over the other, but the Crimson Tide slid a little late, while Ole Miss made a big push, so that, combined with Dean being an in-state kid for the Rebels make this a tough loss.