House Resolution 28

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING NAKOBE DEAN, FROM HORN LAKE HIGH SCHOOL, OUTSIDE LINEBACKER FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA BULLDOGS FOOTBALL TEAM FOR HIS OUTSTANDING COLLEGE FOOTBALL CAREER.

WHEREAS, the State of Mississippi was well represented on the National Champion University of Georgia Bulldogs Football Team by Nakobe Dean, the 6 foot, 215 pound, outside linebacker from Horn Lake High School in Horn Lake, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, Nakobe Dean, who won the prestigious 2021 Butkus Award, given to the nation's best linebacker, completed his junior year with 168 total tackles and 7.5 sacks, earned First-Team All-SEC Honors in 2021 and has declared for the 2022 NFL Draft; and

WHEREAS, Georgia defeated Alabama 33-18 in the College Football National Championship Game, Georgia's first national title in football since the 1980 season; and it was Georgia's first win against Alabama since 2007; and

WHEREAS, on October 22, 2021, Dean returned to his alma mater, Horn Lake High School, to present a check for $10,000 to Hope Community Center, Inc., as part of the 2021 Allstate Good Works Team as one of 22 players, and one of four players from the Southeast Conference (SEC), to be nominated by the American Football Coaches Association which recognizes a select group of players each year based on their commitment to serving their communities; and

WHEREAS, Dean said it means a lot to him to be able to give back to Horn Lake, and the Hope Community Center, Inc., of North Mississippi which provides a variety of safe, fun and exciting after-school activities and events for youth of all ages; and

WHEREAS, Dean has also given his time to "Dawgs for Pups," which raised $200,000 to help local youth in the Athens/Clarke County area; visited Camp Sunshine, which provides recreational, educational and support programs for children with cancer; led an effort that raised $100,000 for Wi-Fi hotspots; served on a team that collected 27,000 pounds of food for the Northeast Georgia Food Bank; participated in the Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer Golf Tournament; collected 437 new and gently used coats for the Boys & Girls Club of Athens; and read to students as part of Read Across America; and

WHEREAS, Nakobe Dean, who has a 3.53 GPA in Mechanical Engineering, was Georgia's leading tackler in 2020 with 71 stops, which was 19 more than the next closest Bulldog defender, with 1.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and four quarterback hurries, and as a freshman in 2019, Dean had 25 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and a forced fumble; and

WHEREAS, at Horn Lake, Dean was part of the team that won the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A Football State Championship and was the recipient of the high school Dick Butkus Award as the nation's top high school linebacker in 2018, and he was also named Mississippi Mr. 6A Football, and played in the Under Armour All-American Football Game; and

WHEREAS, Dean has been an impactful player and was the unquestioned leader of the Bulldogs, whose defense is ranked number one, allowing only 297.1 total yards per game, and only 5.5 points per game; and

WHEREAS, Horn Lake Football Head Coach Mitchell Harville, who first coached Dean in seventh and eighth grade, said he was pleased to see Dean excelling at such a high level at Georgia and noted that it was clear early on that Dean was a special player; and

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we recognize a very special Mississippi athlete who has brought honor to his home town, his high school and to the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Nakobe Dean, from Horn Lake High School, outside linebacker for the National Champions Georgia Bulldogs Football Team for his outstanding college football career, and extend our best wishes to Nakobe and his family as he transitions from the highest level of college football into the NFL.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Nakobe Dean, Horn Lake High School Football Head Coach Mitchell Harville, and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.