At 6-foot-4, 317 pounds, Georgia’s Chris Mayes has always stood out. On Saturday, though, he stood out for what he did on the football field.
Playing nose guard and defensive tackle for the No. 1 defense, Mayes was almost unblockable in the Bulldogs’ first full-scale scrimmage of the spring at Sanford Stadium. He was tremendously productive at a position where good play doesn’t always translate into tangible stats. He finished the day with seven tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.
“The scrimmage for me, I was still disappointed because I had some missed assignments and didn’t place my hand on the right man and stuff like that,” Mayes said. “What I did was mostly like effort tackles than just making plays, to me, in my opinion. But it gives me a lot to build off of.”
It certainly is an encouraging sign for both Mayes and for the Bulldogs. This Griffin resident and Spalding High graduate was expected to have a break-out year last season. But between nagging injuries and the strong play of now-graduated senior Mike Thornton, Mayes was limited to a backup role in eight games and he finished with just seven tackle, one for a loss.
“Last season for me was more of a learning season,” said Mayes, who started eight games as a sophomore I was able to mentally prep and learn the scheme. This year I can use that and my physical ability to be success.”
About the Author
