A year ago, Terry Godwin caught 38 passes for 639 yards and six touchdowns, but the senior was slowed in this year’s preseason camp by knee and calf maladies. He also sustained a shin injury in Georgia’s September victory over Middle Tennessee.
While his 2018 numbers (15 receptions, 286 yards, three touchdowns) may not match his work from 2017, Godwin has remained a valuable asset for the Bulldogs’ receiving corps.
“Terry has grown as a kid,” coach Kirby Smart said. “When I first got here, his practice commitment was there, and he got better at it and he got better and he got better. And he worked at it. He’s gotten a lot better as a blocker. I think he’s gotten physically stronger.
“He’s been a really good wideout here the whole time he’s been here. I think the biggest thing Terry’s helped with is being able to play inside and outside, and he’s done it with a really good work ethic. And he helps keep those guys level-headed in that group. There are some young guys in that group. He’s been kind of a good leader for the whole group the whole time he's been here.”
Godwin acknowledged his status in the receivers’ room, but said he’s not the only leader in the bunch.
“I wouldn’t say it’s my group, but I am the senior leader and some of the guys do look up to me,” said Godwin, who added that now he’s “100 percent healthy.”
“The juniors – Riley (Ridley) and Mecole (Hardman) – are also leaders as well. I get feedback from them. When I’m messing up they’ll tell me, so we’re kind of leading each other in that room.
“I always set myself to a higher standard and I feel that placing that on some other guys and them trying to hold themselves to a higher standard, it can only make you better. By me doing that, you can take that as ‘He wants me to be great, so I’ve got to set myself to a standard higher than I’m used to.’ I feel we’re doing that in practice, and it’s showing in the games.”
Godwin, a senior from Hogansville, said that while the 2018 season hasn’t exactly gone the way he’d hoped it would, he’s content as long as Georgia remains in the national-championship conversation.
“At the beginning, it was kind of rocky for me personally,” he said. “But just coming off those injuries and being able to help this team be what we are now is what we dream of. We’re not satisfied with where we are at now – we still have more to play for.”
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