ATHENS – It’s not like Channing Tindall has been sitting around twiddling his thumbs. He has dressed out for every Georgia football game the past three seasons and played in all but three.
What he still hasn’t done, though, is start or star for the Bulldogs to this point, now nearing the end of his junior season.
For some with Tindall’s recruiting pedigree – a consensus 4-star prospect and the third-rated player in the state of South Carolina – that might be an issue. Nowadays, it’s an almost surefire trip to the transfer portal. But not for him.
Tindall said he understands why he hasn’t assumed a larger role to date. He said he has complete faith that Georgia coach Kirby Smart, defensive coordinator Dan Lanning and inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann are making the best decisions for him and for the team.
“From coach Smart to coach Schumann, I trust them wholeheartedly,” said Tindall, a 6-foot-2, 218-pound linebacker from Columbia, S.C. “I mean, I feel like they’re going to give us a win every week no matter what. We have full trust in our coaches. We know they’ve been doing this for a very long time. Who am I to tell the coaches what they should do? I’m just getting here. I’ve been here for, like, three years. So, I’m definitely going to lean on the experience they have.
“I chose to come here, and now it’s time to listen to them and do what we’ve got to do to get the job done.”
Refreshing words in what could be described as the Age of Me in college athletics.
Tindall’s struggle to find a prominent role on the team is one that’s becoming more and more common at Georgia and particularly on defense. For one, Lanning’s philosophy simply is to play a lot of players and alternate them in and out according to their ability to provide specialized roles. Two, the Bulldogs have developed into the modern-day version of Linebacker U, with Roquan Smith, Leonard Floyd and Alec Ogletree starring in the NFL and dozens being recruited to UGA annually to try to be the next great one in the legacy.
Smith had a hand himself in recruiting Tindall to Georgia, serving as his regular host when Tindall was making visits in the fall 2017. He lists Floyd and Todd Gurley among his all-time favorites.
Since arriving in Athens in 2018, Tindall toiled on the depth chart behind seniors Natrez Patrick and Juwan Taylor and then Tae Crowder and Monty Rice. Rice, now a senior, remains the captain of the group, while Tindall and sophomore Nakobe Dean split reps at what the Bulldogs call their “Mac.” It’s a complicated position that requires run-stopping, pass-defending and quarterback-blitzing responsibilities.
That’s a far cry from what Tindall was asked to do at Spring Valley High, which was mostly line up on the edge and find the way into the opponents’ backfield.
“If he had stayed at home, I think he would’ve been on the field a little bit earlier just because of South Carolina’s depth versus Georgia,” said Robin Bacon, his high school coach. “Obviously, Georgia does a great job with its linebackers with guys like Roquan and those others. They’ve got great depth and tradition, and I know Channing wanted to be a part of that.”
Bacon and Georgia’s coaches did a good job of explaining that to Tindall during his recruitment. So the time he has invested to get into the position he currently holds wasn’t a shock.
“I’ve learned from guys like JT, Natrez, Monty. All those guys I’ve followed have always pushed me to do better,” Tindall said. “Every time they’ve seen me hang my head down or seen that I’m not getting anything, they’ve always tried to lend a helping hand, give me tough love, whatever it might be. So, I really appreciate those guys and I probably wouldn’t be in the position I am now if it wasn’t for them.”
Tindall is one of 30 or so defensive players who have a role to fill for Georgia’s defense every week. Tindall’s stats won’t earn him any SEC honors at this point – 11 tackles, two sacks, three quarterback pressures – but they’re very meaningful to what the Bulldogs are trying to do on defense.
Increasingly, you’re seeing Tindall and his No. 41 jersey on the field in crucial situations. He played a lot Saturday, finishing with three tackles in what was a frustrating and exhausting battle with Mississippi State.
“Channing’s a great player, a great kid, a great teammate, most of all,” senior Jermaine Johnson said. “He never complains about playing time or anything like that. He goes out there and does what he’s got to do when his name’s called. So, when you’ve got a teammate like that who plays like that, good things will definitely come his way.”
Perhaps it will be Saturday, when Tindall travels to Columbia to face his hometown team for the second time in his college career.
Understandably, the Gamecocks were after Tindall hard and heavy when he was playing high school ball 17 miles from Williams-Brice Stadium. About that, Tindall said he has absolutely no regrets.
The Georgia-South Carolina rivalry always has been big in Tindall’s family. His mother attended South Carolina, and his father is from Augusta and pretty much raised him into being a Bulldogs fan.
“That’s one game I mark down every year,” Tindall said playing the Gamecocks. “It’s always a great experience going back home. It’s very exciting for me. Now that I get to play in it is even a better feeling.”
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