ATHENS — If there is a more vibrant and effervescent personality than Channing Tindall in Georgia’s locker room, the Bulldogs haven’t trotted him out yet.
Maybe he was still riding high from the win over Clemson Saturday night and the significant role he played in it. Maybe Tindall was just having a particularly good day on Tuesday. Whatever the case, the senior linebacker from Columbia, S.C., charmed media tuning in for Tuesday night’s post-practice Zoom call by sharing amusing anecdotes offering some insights on how the Bulldogs’ defense so dominated Clemson offense that had racked up 400 or more yards in 12 consecutive games before Saturday.
After defeating the No. 3-ranked Tigers 10-3, No. 2 Georgia (1-0) now turns its attention to Saturday’s home opener against UAB.
Here are some of the highlights from Tindall’s 13-minute interaction with reporters:
Q: What does it say about Georgia’s defense that it took a guy of your ability this much time to play a lot?
A: UGA’s defense has always been good in my eyes. So, like, regardless of who is out there, there’s a standard and we’re all just trying to carry on the tradition. When I came here, you had Monty (Rice), Roquan (Smith). You have a lot of legends here that are playing in the league now. We don’t want to let them down and we don’t want to let ourselves down. So we’re just going to keep pushing.
Q: After such a dominant effort against Clemson, what could you guys possibly improve on this week?
A: A big thing we’ve been talking about lately is takeaways. We made a lot of plays, definitely, but there were so many more plays that we could have made, especially takeaways. Just pawing at the ball, that’s been a big thing for us on the defensive side of the ball, just getting the ball out. Defensive composure and attention to detail on that. This whole season we’re going to focus onto that.
Q: How would you describe the trio of yourself, Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker that you guys are utilizing at middle linebacker?
A: Hmm. I don’t want to talk just about us three. Me, Quay, ‘Kobe,’ Jamon (Dumas-Johnson), who just came in, Smael (Mondon), who just came in, everybody out there is athletic. And we compete every single day. It is, like, everybody makes a play, at least one or two, every day in practice. It’s very competitive in our room and we just keep pushing each other. So it’s not just like us, a trio. By the end of the year, it’s not just going to be our names that you’re hearing. You better believe that.
Q: What do you expect to see from those young guys Saturday if they’re able to get out there against UAB.
A: Just holding the standard, honestly. Going out there and competing and being the best version of them that they can be. I’ve seen Jamon during these scrimmages, both Smael and Jamon, and they create many plays. They’re doing way better than me when I was a freshman. Like, they make a lot of eye-popping plays in practice, so I’m just waiting and really excited to see them get out there, honestly.
Q: Do you think you and Nakobe are the fastest pair of linebackers in the country and what is the importance of playing with speed?
A: I don’t worry about anybody else; like I said, I just worry about me. Nakobe’s pretty fast, Smael’s super fast, Jamon, really fast, just like the whole room. We’re competing. I definitely feel like we’re the best defense as a whole in the league, with speed and physicality. So we’re just working on that.
Q: We heard about Adam Anderson’s 40 time (4.47 seconds). Did you also get some testing in the offseason and is your speed comparable?
A: Adam is just a freak of nature altogether; I’m just going to say that. We did get some testing done. I wasn’t, unfortunately, here when they gave out our results. I just want to keep pushing and worry about the opponent this week. I feel like the film will show for itself about speed. When the time comes, that’s when I’ll worry about all that. Right now, I’m just worried about our opponent.
Q: You shot through the middle one time and had a tackle for loss and ended up wagging your finger afterward. What happened on that play?
A: Well, that’s one of the things we’ve been working on in practice for a while. It’s a swipe play. I had seen the tackle had come down and Kobe had taken the down block from the tight end, so I just rushed the gap, tracking angles. Everybody else is tracking the ball, too, so even if I wasn’t there, the whole defense was on it.
Q: What about Georgia’s young offensive players such as Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey making an impact in that first game?
A: OK, let me start you on Brock Bowers. When he first got here, there’s Brock and we’re like, ‘OK, OK.’ So we’re running during the summer; we’re running gassers. And we’re like, ‘let’s run as fast as we can.’ So we all get on the line and we’re going to compete against each other — and Brock beats us all! Like, five different times! Brock is, like, one of the most athletic kids I’ve ever seen that’s come here so far. And Ladd, he’s just like a hard worker. He’s like a workhorse. Regardless of what’s going on, what position he’s playing, he’s going to be working at it. I’m just really proud of him and all the work he’s done and it’s starting to pay off for him. But Brock, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with, y’all, and I think he showed that last Saturday.
Q: Playing against a home-state school like Clemson, how fun was that for you to be in that environment and be able to do those things?
A: Yeah, I’m from Columbia, S.C., just up the street (from Charlotte). So, that did feel like a home game for me. And Jordan Davis is one of my best friends on this team and he IS from Charlotte. So, we was ‘turnt up,’ we were getting right all day for the game. But, other than that, regardless of who the (opponent) is, we’re going to show that all day every day. It’s really not about the team (we’re playing), it’s about us improving on what we have to improve on. So now we’re just worked about UAB and improving for that.
Q: Speaking of Jordan Davis, what did you think about his performance?
A: I’ve known Jordan for a long time. I was very proud of him. He was very focused before the game. I was watching him. He was listening to that Kanye West song, Homecoming. I was standing there signing that Homecoming song with him on the sidelines, trying to get him ready. He was out there blowing kisses to the crowd. ‘Ahhhh.’ My brother was getting too hyped. But I was just happy for him, just seeing that juice in him and him doing as well as he’s doing now, is really a great experience, especially with him doing in his hometown.
Q: What did you think about Kelee Ringo’s performance in his first college game?
A: I felt like Kelee Ringo played wonderful. Near the beginning, during his injury, I want to say he got kind of downish and upish and whatnot. But he didn’t let any of that stop him. He just kept pushing forward, trying to be the best player he can be. That’s something we really harp on, just being the best players we can be and not really worrying about anybody else or what’s going on. That’s how you become the best, by worrying about yourself and what you can do. So, he really to that into effect and the results showed.
Q: How has Nolan Smith developed into a leader?
A: Nolan is the most vocal person in our locker room, I’ll say that. Whenever we’re doing team run since the summer, it doesn’t matter if it’s a practice or what, he is always yelling. He’s like, ‘come on, come on, do what you need to do.’ It doesn’t matter what it is, Nolan’s going to be there. And if you’re messing around, Nolan’s going to get on you. Nolan is a true vocal leader and the energy of the defense, in a way.
Q: Why did you choose to stick around the program despite not making a major impact early on?
A: Coming in, I didn’t know a lot about inside linebacker. I played on the line (at Spring Valley High School) before coming here. So, like, I knew it was going to take me a little while to understand it. But I didn’t try to use that as an excuse to leave or anything like that. I really believe in (linebackers) coach (Glenn) Schumann. He’s a really big reason why I stayed, because I was learning from him and I’m still learning from him. That was a big factor in me staying. I feel like I know way more now and he’s preparing me for the next level.
Q: How much have you changed physically since showing up as a freshman?
A: That’s all thanks to coach (Scott) Sinclair, coach Mo (Maurice Sims), coach T (Tursoo Uhaa). We have a great coaching staff. Coming in, I was, like, 218. I’m like 232 right now. That’s just from grinding, taking those protein shakes, doing what I’ve got to do. I knew I had to get bigger. As soon as you come here, you see people like Jordan Davis, people who are, like, 6-6, 330 pounds. I can’t be taking on those blockers looking how I was looking. So I had to do what I had to do.
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