Kirk Herbstreit: Nakobe Dean, Georgia leadership is why Bulldogs finished on top
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit went on The Paul Finebaum show on Jan. 12 to talk about the Georgia Bulldogs and why they won the national championship. He went in-depth about the leadership on their team and he simply couldn’t say enough good things about their all-world linebacker Nakobe Dean. He figures to be one of the top overall selections in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“I’ve done this for a long time. I’ve always thought about Ed Reed and others that have always stood out to me. It’s just that ultimate warrior’s [mentality]–the ultimate of what you are looking for in a player. And Nakobe Dean is gonna be one of those guys that for me, forever, I don’t care how long I do this. He’s gonna be one of those guys that…the NFL is part of his future. Yeah–individual accolades [are] a part of his future,” Herbstreit said.
“But that guy was determined to get Georgia to a national championship. That was his focus and you could see that in the game–the leadership that he provided. You could see it if you were ever away from the television and got around their team…It was a special bond and I’m not shocked. The best team in the country won the national championship. And it was an incredible story with Stetson Bennett. And I think the leadership from the team is what I’ll always appreciate about the Georgia Bulldogs in [2021-2022],” the longtime ESPN football commentator said.
When players within a team hold each other accountable, it’s some of the best kind of leadership a coach could ask for. There was a great example of this during the national championship game–when Dean got up in the face of his teammate, Georgia linebacker Channing Tindall. The very next play, Tindall flew into the Alabama backfield and sacked quarterback Bryce Young.
In case you missed it the play is below.
It was a great display of leadership by Dean and that’s one of the true measures of great leadership–raising the play of the people around them. The gifted linebacker made sure his teammate was locked in for one of the biggest games in Georgia football history.
Georgia was the most consistent team in college football
The Georgia defense in the 2021-2022 season was truly one of the most historic in college football history. They were deserving champions.
Much like Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart said in the post game with Scott Van Pelt, sometimes the best team doesn’t always win, it’s the team that plays the best on a given day. Luckily for everyone associated with the Bulldogs program, they played the best when it counted. Georgia was the most consistent team in college football for the entire season. After more than 40 years, they can finally say they are national champions of the college football world.