National Signing Day 2019: Five-Star Linebacker Nakobe Dean Commits to Georgia
The top inside linebacker in the class of 2019 has made his decision. Five-star Horn Lake (Miss.) High School standout Nakobe Dean chose Georgia on Wednesday afternoon, capping a recruitment that drew the attention of most SEC power players.
The 6'0", 216-pound Dean led Horn Lake to the first school championship in school history this year, then fielded final recruiting pitches from LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, Texas A&M and Auburn in the final days before the opening of the three-day early signing period. His choice gives Georgia its fifth five-star of the 2019 class.
Like Roquan Smith and other decorated linebackers before him, Dean will get the chance to extend Georgia's tradition of versatile, hyper-athletic linebackers who can cover huge swaths of grass. The Bulldogs' linebacking corps is set to lose seniors D'Andre Walker, Juwan Taylor and Natrez Patrick, all of whom finished top-10 on the team's total tackles leaderboard. Dean will be joined by four-star Trezmen Marshall, the No. 7 inside linebacker in this class out of Clinch County (Ga.) High School, in an effort to provide replacements.
Horn Lake, located just south of Memphis near the Mississippi-Tennessee line, is just over an hour drive from Oxford, and Dean's older brother Nikolas is currently a walk-on freshman tight end for the Rebels. Alabama was predictably considered a front-runner. But ultimately, it was Georgia who got a potential game-changing talent.
