ORLANDO, Fla. — Nakobe Dean is a goal achiever. The son of a physician and two military parents was accepted into Stanford but eliminated that school because it does not allow mid-year enrollees.

Dean carried a 4.3 grade-point average in high school and scored a 27 on his ACT. That was the only time he took that test.

His family felt he had a 30 in him, but he never needed another rep with that exam.

He eventually signed with Georgia in a back-and-forth that included one parent favoring LSU, another thinking Alabama but the decision was all his.

Nakobe Dean, the nation’s No. 1 ILB for 2019, signed with Georgia on Dec. 19. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)/Dawgnation)

That was Georgia. Now he has been swapping text messages with former Georgia great Roquan Smith that welcomed him to the Bulldog family.

Dean is at the Under Armour All-America Game this week prior to enrolling early in January. He will move to Athens after taking part in the 2019 Under Armour All-America game on Jan. 3.

Perhaps the most impressive thing he said came when he shared his mindset coming into the program.

“I feel like I’m coming to work and I’m coming,” Dean said. “I’m coming. Like to work. Period. That’s the whole reason I am coming to college. I feel like it is more so a business trip than to have fun. I know that a feeling and having fun was a big thing in my recruiting process but I’m coming to work. Three or four years and I’m out. You know? Get my degree and all that.”

That’s the sort of focus a rabid fan base would hope to hear from the nation’s No. 1 ILB prospect (per the 247Sports Composite) for this cycle would say.

Nakobe Dean chats with DawgNation

What did the nation’s No. 14 overall prospect tell DawgNation during his check-in at Media Day? Click the featured video above for his thoughts on the following topics:

  • What is his mindset for the Under Armour game this week?
  • Why Georgia?
  • He loves to dance. Where does that come from?
  • How big of a factor was the education at UGA in his final college decision?
  • How many Twitter followers has he picked up since he chose UGA?