Making The Case: Nakobe Dean
The Early Signing Period for 2019 is now. This week, the majority of the class of 2019 will sign letters of intent with a school. Most will take place Wednesday, including the prospect we will focus on today.
Experts from the Rivals.com network examine where 2019 No. 1 inside linebacker, five-star Nakobe Dean of Horn Lake (Miss.) might end up playing his college football. The candidates are Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
THE SITUATION
Dean is a student-athlete with over three dozen offers and over a 4.0 GPA. He is one of the most coveted prospects in the 2019 class due to his ability on the field, in the classroom and what type of impact he could make on the next level.
Linebackers with speed are so important in today’s college game. Dean is a linebacker who can run, cover, blitz and stay on the field all three downs. Schools have been fighting over him for many months.
His official visits started in the summer, with Alabama getting the first one. From there, Dean official visits to Auburn, Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M, all in the fall. Each school did multiple in-home visits with him the last few weeks, including a visit from the head coach of each respective school. With the public decision coming Wednesday,, we asked our team experts to state the case for their respective programs and let National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell issue a verdict.
THE CASE FOR ALABAMA
“Alabama has recruited Dean very hard for the last few years. First-year linebackers coach Pete Golding developed a strong relationship with Dean. Alabama has a pressing need for linebackers and the rich tradition at the position in Tuscaloosa helped make the Crimson Tide a finalist for the five-star. Dean has visited Alabama several times, but it looks more like the final decision will come down to Georgia and Ole Miss. Is it possible Dean pulls a surprise? Maybe, but the Bulldogs and Rebels appear in the best position to land the elite prospect on Wednesday.” — Andrew Bone, BamaInsider.com
THE CASE FOR AUBURN
"Auburn's case for Dean starts and ends with area recruiter Marcus Woodson and linebackers coach Travis Williams. Dean has developed a very strong bond with the two coaches since the Tigers targeted the linebacker early in the process. Dean visited Auburn for Big Cat Weekend in the summer and returned for an official visit in the fall. Still, it looks like Auburn is on the outside looking in at this point.” — Jeffrey Lee, AuburnSports.com
THE CASE FOR GEORGIA
“Georgia has been and continues to be hanging around near the top of Dean's options, and the Bulldogs' coaches have shown him plenty of attention throughout his recruitment. In Dean, there's a possibility to add the type of player who's seen much success in the Georgia system - a smaller, quicker inside linebacker with a penchant for hitting and sideline-to-sideline play. He's certainly in the vein of Roquan Smith and Monty Rice in that regard. Dean and his family left the official visit to Athens with a positive taste, creating some momentum in Georgia's favor. Since then, we've heard everything under the sun, and the Deans are keeping everyone guessing ahead of Nakobe's decision.” — Jake Reuse, UGASports.com
THE CASE FOR LSU
"LSU has hosted Dean almost as often as Alabama over the years, including junior day visits in the spring. He returned to camp in Baton Rouge again this summer, and saved LSU as his final official visit before his decision.
"He has a longstanding relationship with defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who like Dean, is quiet and cerebral. Aranda is leading the push for the five-star linebacker and there is quiet confidence on the LSU side that the Tigers did enough to entice Dean and his entire family about a future in the Bayou. Alabama and Georgia are other favorites for the All-American, but LSU has tried to entice the family with academics — a unique tactic for the 4.7 student-athlete. LSU has long been a top team for Dean, and while it has never been deemed the single favorite, it certainly has been near the top for the longest period of time. With Devin White likely declaring for the NFL Draft, there’s a wide-open opportunity waiting for Dean in Baton Rouge to play as a true freshman.” — Sam Spiegelman, TigerDetails.com
THE CASE FOR OLE MISS
“Ole Miss has two major factors weighing in its favor as Dean’s recruitment approaches the finish line: family and playing time, He has made it no secret that his best relationship among the potential position coaches he would have is with Ole Miss LB coach Jon Sumrall, who has made him priority No. 1 since arriving in Oxford last year. Sumrall and Dean spent almost the entire day together on Tuesday, leading up to the hours before Dean headed to Montgomery for the MS/AL game.
"In recent years, defensive recruiting has been a major area of concern that Ole Miss has struggled to close on, especially in-state. Names such as Willie Gay, Jeffery Simmons, and Raekwon Davis come to mind. Dean would see the field early and often in Mike MacIntyre’s defense., and in Oxford he would have the chance to play with his brother, who is currently a walk-on freshman tight end.” — Russell Johnson, RebelGrove.com
THE CASE FOR TEXAS A&M
“A&M’s sales pitch is pretty simple: immediate playing time on a defense and a team that is going to be pretty darned good next year (and moving forward). The Aggies have their starters at linebacker set for 2019, but they need more talent in the two-deep. Dean would get to play right off the bat on a team that seems to be setting up for big things quickly.” — Mark Passwaters, AggieYell.com
THE VERDICT
“I’m going with Georgia, but it’s just a guess. Dean could easily end up staying at home at Ole Miss or pick Alabama, but Georgia has so much recruiting momentum these days I’m not going against them.” — Mike Farrell, Rivals.com
