Nakobe Dean Named Butkus Award Finalist
Georgia junior linebacker Nakobe Dean has been named one of six finalists for the 2021 Butkus Award given to the nation’s best collegiate linebacker, according to an announcement by the Butkus Foundation.
Dean, a native of Horn Lake, Miss., is one of two finalists from the Southeastern Conference for the 37th awarding of the honor. The winner will be announced on or before Dec. 7.
While Dean was a semifinalist for the collegiate award in 2020 and the winner of the high school Butkus Award in 2018, former Bulldog and current Tennessee Titan Monty Rice was a Butkus Award finalist in 2020. In addition, former Bulldog and current Chicago Bear Roquan Smith won the 2017 collegiate Butkus Award.
Dean is the second-leading tackler for the No. 1 Bulldogs this season with 50 stops, including a team-leading seven tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Starting all 11 games this season as the middle of Georgia’s top-ranked defense, he has also forced a fumble, has two interceptions, including a 50-yard pick-six versus Florida, and three pass break-ups. Dean is also a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and Wuerffel Trophy and has been named to the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
WBB: UGA Rolls Over Alabama State, 73-43
Freshman guard Reigan Richardson scored a season high 16 points and Javyn Nicholson posted her second double-double of the year to lead the No. 19-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball team past Alabama State, 73-43, Sunday at Stegeman Coliseum.
Georgia is now 4-0 for the second-straight season and for the third time under head coach Joni Taylor.
In addition to Richardson’s 16 points, Nicholson added 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Lady Bulldogs. The Georgia junior forward is now averaging nearly a double-double this season with her 11.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg.
“We have really been able to continue to incorporate some things offensively to work on,” shared head coach Joni Taylor. “Where we need to improve, we turn it over way too much, it’s going to happen because we play fast, we have a lot of people handling the basketball so some of it I am okay with but some of it is just unnecessary especially when it leads to live ball turnovers on the other end of the floor where we can’t set our defense, that needs to get better.”
Morrison sparked the offense early with a jumper on the Lady Bulldogs’ first possession. The Lady Bulldogs finished the first quarter leading the Hornets 19-9.
The Georgia offense continued to score through the second quarter. A Richardson 3-pointer put an exclamation point on a 7-0 run to end the frame. Barker and Nicholson led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring as Georgia took a 38-18 halftime lead.
Jordan Isaacs would go to the line for the Lady Bulldogs to open the third quarter, following a personal foul on Alabama State. Behind 42 percent shooting during the period, Georgia extended their lead over the Hornets, 61-33.
Richardson scored seven points in the fourth quarter and helped the Lady Bulldogs close out the game.
MBB: UGA vs. UVA Tonight
The Starting 5…
• Tom Crean looks for his 400th career victory when UGA faces UVA in the Legends Classic on Monday.
• UGA’s Jabri Abdur-Rahim is from South Orange, N.J., and was the 2019 N.J. Player of the Year at Blair Academy.
• Through Saturday’s games, Braelin Bridges’ 66.7 FG percentage led the SEC and ranked No. 31 nationally.
• Aaron Cook’s 22-point outburst against S.C. State last Tuesday pushed him over 1,000 career points.
• UGA’s seven first-year transfers combined to score 4,782 points at their previous schools.
The Opening Tip
Georgia travels to the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., to take part in the Roman Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper on Monday and Tuesday. The Bulldogs will face Virginia in the opening round before taking on either Northwestern or Providence on Tuesday.
Georgia is appearing in the Legends Classic for the second time. In 2012, the Bulldogs lost four contests in the event, falling to Youngstown State, Southern Miss, No. 1 Indiana and No. 11 UCLA.
Interestingly, the top-ranked Hoosiers were then coached by Tom Crean. After dispatching Georgia, 66-53, Crean earned his 250th career victory with Indiana’s 82-72 win over Georgetown in the Legends Classic’s championship game.
Georgia was led by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was a sophomore and went on to earn 2013 SEC Player of the Year accolades before declaring for the NBA Draft and being selected with the No. 8 overall pick by the Detroit Pistons that year.
Jump To Comments