Nakobe Dean chose to empower people through his platform

Georgia football starting inside linebacker Nakobe Dean is one of the most humble and incredible people on the football team, and while we all love him for what he does on the field, the way he has built his platform should get far more praise.

He has already won the Butkus Award for being the best linebacker in the country, and then on Tuesday, he became the Captain for Allstate Goodworks Team.

Dean has chosen to empower people through this massive platform he has built from being a Georgia football player, and for that, he deserves every award he can win.

As some people would say, Dean is a good egg — selfless and loves to give back to his community while also being an extremely good person.

Georgia has a whole team of guys like this, but the way Dean did it under the radar is why it’s important to praise him.

Nakobe Dean deserves so much praise for empowering people through his platform.

It’s one thing to be a Butkus winner, but to also earn the captain title for the Good Works team, that tells us Dean is putting in as much work off the field as he is on the gridiron.

He was one of 22 players selected for the AFCA Good Works Team, but to be the captain means he is leading this group of players.

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart commented about this accolade in the press release.

"“Nakobe is an exceptional example of what it means to be a well-rounded student-athlete who makes time to give back,” Smart said in the press release.  “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 is an engineering student who leads this defense, makes great grades, and helped launch the “Dawgs for Pups” program.

This community service is time he takes out of his busy schedule to give back to the Athens-Clarke County youth community, and Dean is becoming a major mentor for these kids.

So far, the program has raised $200,000, which has helped secure 27,000-pounds of food and clothing donations for local children. He is Georgia’s second player to earn the captain title, joining Malcolm Mitchell, who won it in 2015.

So not only did he make history becoming the second Butkus winner behind Roquan Smith, but this honor as well. There is no one more deserving than Dean because he sacrifices so much to give back to a community he didn’t grow up in or know about until three years ago.

https://twitter.com/Allstate/status/1468234102725918730?s=20

If that selflessness doesn’t tell you why he won this award, I don’t know what will. Dean came to Georgia from Mississippi and has proved his worth, but it isn’t just about what he does on the football field.

While he is likely going pro after this season wraps up, Dean will forever be known as a Damn Good Dawg who gave back to the community that welcomed him with open arms.

Thankfully, many athletes have taken to giving back to their communities with NIL deals, proving a lot of people wrong about why college kids shouldn’t get paid to play football. Some choose not to give back, and that is okay. It’s their choice, but those who do — are what makes college athletics so unique.

Dean is laying the groundwork for these kids and showing them that there are still good people out in the world. He is showing them what hard work can get them, and Dean is making sure they have someone to look up to, which is priceless. Regardless of what kind of money he earns, Dean would probably do this community work anyway, which is why he deserves this captain title.

So many times, we only brag about on-field college football awards, but this one should get more coverage because it’s leaving a lasting legacy, one that he will likely continue in the NFL and for the rest of his career.

He will receive national honors for this on Dec. 9th with the rest of the college football awards and at the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 1.