Q&A: UGA's Clint Boling

Q: Do you embrace the high expectations for the line this season?

A: Definitely. We’ve got pretty much everybody back and a couple guys coming off injuries. I think everybody is really excited with the depth and talent that we have up front. If we’re able to accomplish what I think we [can], I think we’ll be pretty special.

Q: With a quarterback who has never played in a college game, do the linemen feel they must be the leaders of the offense?

A: We’ve got three seniors starting right now. We’ve all been playing for two, three, four years. I think we’ve got to take it upon ourselves to help [quarterback] Aaron [Murray] out [by] being able to run the ball, giving him time to throw the ball. And just make his job as easy as possible, really.

Q: Looking back, what was it like to start as a freshman in the SEC?

A: You’re forced to learn everything on the go, but playing as a freshman provided a ton of experience. We had a lot of big road games [in 2007], and I was able to learn from all that. There were definitely some tough games. My second game starting was going on the road to Alabama [a 26-23 Georgia win in overtime]. That was a tough game for me, but it provided a lot of experience for me to succeed. I’m glad I played as a freshman now because I feel like it made me a better player.

Q: So what do you think of your quarterback?

A: I’ve got a lot of faith in Aaron. I think he’s done a pretty good job this summer as far as leading, trying to get guys together, throwing, things like that. He’s done a great job of learning the playbook. He knows all the checks, which is important to us. ... He’s always in there watching film. And he was sitting in on some of the offensive line meetings we had this summer, just trying to learn as much as he can. There’s just a series of things that he has done to earn our respect and show that he wants to be a player on this team.

Q: Murray said he doesn’t expect to get hit much this season because you guys are going to protect him so well.

A: Hopefully we back him up on what he said. We’ve got to take care of him. We don’t have a ton of depth [at quarterback]. It is scary. If something happens to Aaron, we’re in trouble. But it’s kind of in our hands, so hopefully nothing will happen to him as long as we’re playing the way we can play.

Q: How do you assess your Georgia career to this point?

A: You know, the first two years were great. Last year was definitely tough. Going 8-5, that’s not what Georgia expects. But hopefully I’ll be able to finish it off with a great season this year.

Q: What are your personal goals for your final season as a Bulldog?

A: I want to be the best player I can be. I want to be a great leader for this team. And obviously as a team goal, we want to go to the SEC Championship game every year. The past couple of years, if you win that, you’re going to the national championship game. We’ve got to take it one day at a time and stay focused, but that’s definitely where we want to be in December.

Q: Did you grow up [in Alpharetta] watching Georgia’s offensive line?

A: I never really played offensive line until toward the end of my high school career. I never really watched the offensive line. Nobody ever does. I did grow up watching Georgia, just never the offensive line.

Q: Yet there’s actually a lot of attention focused on the offensive line right now. How does that feel?

A: Right now it feels great. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep the attention on us because that means we’re doing great things. And hopefully not [draw attention] in a bad way. If we’re able to take the pressure off of Aaron, I think we’ll be that much better.

Q: Some mock NFL drafts have you going in the first round next spring. Do you ever sneak a peek at such things?

A: No, I don’t ever try to look at that stuff. Just trying to go out there and play football.

Q: There’s been a lot of talk this summer about the “agent problem” in college football. How big a problem has it been for you to deal with?

A: I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s definitely hassling to have to deal with that. ... But the coaches do a good job of helping us out with that whole program they have at Georgia and trying to educate us as much as they can about the whole situation. It can be tough, but hopefully it just kind of falls on the players as well.

Q: How do you handle it when you’re approached by people who want to be your agent?

A: At this point, if anybody tries to call me, I just say I’m not doing anything during the season. I just won’t talk to anybody during the season. I don’t want to deal with it now. I just want to stay focused on playing football.