Georgia fans already knew Nakobe Dean was built different. That was frequently on display during his stellar three-year run in Athens.

He won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker and was a key part of Georgia’s 2021 National Championship Team. But those are the only two accolades Dean intends on leaving Georgia with.

Just eight days after Dean’s rookie season came to an end with a Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Dean was back in Athens taking classes as he aims to finish up his degree in mechanical engineering.

“I wasn’t just an athlete who went to school — I was a student-athlete,” Dean told The Athletic’s Zach Berman. “I was a student that had an opportunity to play a sport that I love. I knew my ‘why’ — going to school and getting an education.”

Dean has 26 credit hours remaining until he gets his degree per Berman. Were he not the best linebacker in college football during his time at Georgia he’d probably already have said degree.

The Eagles took Dean in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, with the Georgia product falling slightly because of his injury concerns. As a rookie for the Eagles, Dean largely played a role on special teams. He finished the season with 13 tackles, with Philadelphia making a Super Bowl run.

Dean is expected to start at inside linebacker this season for the Eagles. He’ll be surrounded by a number of former Georgia teammates, as the Eagles have six players on the team who played at Georgia. Philadelphia took Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Kelee Ringo in the 2023 NFL Draft. Dean will play behind Jordan Davis, who the Eagles took with their first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

With his degree, Dean hopes to one day open a prosthetics business. That’s something Dean has aimed to do prior to his time at Georgia. He was a 5-star linebacker from Horn Lake, Miss., where he was also a stellar student. He never made a B during his time in high school.

At Georgia, while also sporting a 3.53 GPA, Dean was also a member of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

“Nakobe is an exceptional example of what it means to be a well-rounded student-athlete who makes time to give back,” Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart said then. “It is an outstanding honor to be named captain of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and I believe that there could be no better person named to fill that spot than Nakobe.”

Dean still clearly has an affinity for the University of Georgia. He was in attendance to watch Georgia win its second-straight national championship in January. And he’s still finding time to make sure he goes to class to earn his degree.