ATHENS – Georgia coach Kirby Smart praised Ameer Speed and Channing Tindall for their play so far this spring as well as their continued commitment to the Bulldogs in the age of the transfer portal.
Speed, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior from Jacksonville, Fla., is working with the first-team defense at cornerback. Tindall, a 6-2, 230-pound senior from Columbia, S.C., is starting at middle linebacker.
Neither player has started a game during their careers.
I’m excited to see the work both of them do,” Smart said after the Bulldogs’ fifth practice of the spring Thursday. “They’re both extremely talented, but they’re both blessed with great work ethic. Since they’ve gotten here, they’re total program guys, they’re major factors on special teams, which is a high-quality area here. … I’ve got a lot of respect for those guys and what they do.”
Both have played extensively on special teams, and Tindall has been a regular in the inside linebacker rotation the past two seasons. He’s working with the No. 1 defense as the “Mac” inside linebacker this spring because rising junior Nakobe Dean is sidelined while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Increasingly, players such as Speed and Tindall who reach their senior seasons having not yet started in college seek more playing time through the transfer portal. Currently there are more than 1,000 football and basketball players in the NCAA’s transfer portal.
But whether they end up starting or playing extensively next fall, these two Bulldogs believe sticking with Georgia beats the unknowns of a new destination.
“One thing I learned as soon as I got to college, there are no true starters, ever,” said Tindall, a 4-star prospect from Columbia, S.C. who chose the Bulldogs over South Carolina. “That’s week to week, even practice to practice. … You have to play it day-by-day.”
Said Speed: “I see it as everything happens for a reason. … I can’t really speak about anybody else’s blessing. (The players that have started instead) were there and took advantage of their opportunities and they did very well. So, I’ve just been here learning and waiting for my time.”
Smart said he wishes more players had that attitude.
“I ask (players) all the time, if you’re not going to be a starter at Georgia, what makes you think you’re going to be a starter in the NFL?” he said. “You know, it doesn’t work that way. … Getting your degree playing for your university and playing for your teammates while trying to win a championship is special.
“Those guys have aspirations to play in the NFL, too. But there’s no better training for that than Georgia. They’ve got a great workout place, a great staff, they’re developing. A lot of guys that didn’t necessarily start every game have gone on to play in the NFL.”
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