HORN LAKE, Miss.–“Of course, if not one of the loudest ones in the stands, everybody knows she is in the stands,” said Nakobe Dean.
The bond between a mother and a son is unbreakable, and it’s what has kept 5- star linebacker Nakobe Dean focused.
“She is very strict when it comes to class work. She could care less about football, that will take care of itself but she cares about how I do in the classroom and how I am in life,” said Dean.
The Horn Lake stand out can basically take his pick at which elite college football program he wants to attend. Being ranked the top inside linebacker in his class, he’s highly sought after. But it’s Nakobe and his mom that will be scouting their academic facilities.
“She bombards them with the academic questions I just sit there and mostly listen, take it all in. If there is anything different from this school to that school, she’ll point it out,” said Dean.
Cause see Nakobe doesn’t just excel on the gridiron. He’s rocking a 4.3 GPA in the classroom.
“Everything. I mean that honestly the way he approaches everything, in the classroom, in the locker room, with his teammates, he is the type of guy, I’ve done this for 25 years and he is the total package of what you are looking for in a student athlete,” said coach Brad Boyette.
“It helps me a lot. You have to study the game just like you study in class. The more you study the more you know what you are doing. The more you know the opponent better off you are in game time,” said Dean.
And just in case you were wondering what a top level student athlete does after a day full of school practice … spoiler alert, it’s more school and practice.
“Say on a Monday, I’ll do homework for two or three hours and if I want to go get some extra work I will, work out go to the gym, go to the field do something. Then I’ll study till I go to sleep. It’s probably when 12:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. It was different when I had tests, so it was pretty crazy,” said Dean.
“First and foremost, he’s smart. He’s smart in the chemistry class and he’s smart playing linebacker. He has incredible intelligence and I think he applies that in all aspects of his life,” said coach Boyette.
Just a high school senior and already on a roll, thanks to his role model.
“It means a lot. She’s kept me grounded through a lot of stuff,” said Dean.
