Nakobe Dean Living Up to Hype

The amazing parallels between Nakobe Dean and Roquan Smith need a closer look.

While Georgia is more often known as RBU, in more recent years, that moniker has perhaps changed to LBU. Names of Bailey, Jones, Crowder, Houston, Davis and Rice all bring back fond memories for UGA fans. However, one name stands above the rest: Smith. 

Roquan Smith, a native of the small town of Montezuma, Ga., came to UGA after decommitting from UCLA in 2015 as a 4-star prospect. By the end of his sophomore year, Smith had amassed 115 total tackles and had quickly become a leader for the defense heading into the 2017 season.

Nakobe Dean has been compared to Smith for the entirety of his college career. Even before he attended his first day of class in Athens, the phrase, "The Next Roquan Smith," was already dominating headlines as he committed and signed to the University of Georgia. He was a 5-star prospect out of Horn Lake, Miss., in the 2018 class. Smith had just had as dominant a year for a linebacker that anyone could have. He was a Butkus Award winner (the first for UGA), SEC defensive player of the year and All-America honors. If there was an award for linebacker play in 2017, Smith likely won it. The comparisons were almost unfair, and would be nearly impossible to match.

Nearly.

With 96 tackles to his credit by the end of his sophomore season (including a shortened 2020 season), Dean has done the next to impossible: living up to the hype of being compared to Smith and more. He's met those expectations head on, and took them on as a challenge. Dean has every bit of the flash that Smith had. He's quick to read plays, has similar speed side to side, has the same ability to blow up screen plays, is quick to seal alleys and is every bit the sure tackler that made Smith famous. 

The parallels do not stop with their on-field play. Dean is the clear leader of the UGA defense leading into 2021, just like Smith was leading into the 2017 season. His command of the back end even in the Peach Bowl against Cincinnati stuck out, most notably the infamous pre-snap pulling of Latavious Brini into the right position before a play. It's just that kind of leadership that a relatively young back end needs rolling into the 2021 season.

In the spring of 2017, Smith was held out of contact drills due to an upper-body injury. Even though he wasn't able to practice, Smith was one of the most respected voices for the defense during that time, with coaches and players alike raving about his leadership from the sidelines. 

In the spring of 2021, Dean was held out of contact drills due to an upper-body injury. Even though he wasn't able to practice, Dean was one of the most respected voices for the defense during that time, with coaches and players alike raving about his leadership from the sidelines.

It is uncanny how similar Dean and Smith are at this point in their careers. The biggest question is whether Dean can follow up what Roquan Smith did in his junior year with the same kind of year in 2021. If his career up to this point is any indication, the answer to that question is he absolutely can. 

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