Amarius Mims steps fully into the spotlight

Amarius Mims made the promise to his mom as a 7-year-old.

With dreams of an NFL future in his eyes, Mims vowed he would one day buy his mother a house. Those dreams drove Mims to five-star status and a commitment to Georgia.

Mims has been a rotational piece through his first two years in Athens. Now, as Georgia looks to replace both Broderick Jones and Warren McClendon, Mims is ready to fully embrace his place as Georgia's next great tackle.

"Time really flies," Mims said. "I just remember coming in as a freshman, not knowing basic plays. Fast forward two and a half years later, I’ve got the chance to do what they’re doing."

Mims played in eight games as a freshman in 2021. He flirted with the transfer portal last spring, but ultimately chose to stay in Athens.

His patience paid off in 2022. Mims appeared in all but one contest in Georgia's national championship season. He had a regular role in the offensive line rotation, playing both left and right tackle. Mims also started both of Georgia's College Football Playoff victories with McClendon out due to injury.

Mims credited McClendon for developing him into the player he is now.

"One thing I will say: without Warren I wouldn’t be where I’m at now," Mims said. "He helped me grow mentally and physically. When he was out, he wasn’t really out. He was beside me in film, on the field. He would bring me to the side: ‘Mims, you did this wrong, this is how you can get better.’ That right there helped me a lot."

The physical skills have always been there for Mims. He said the past two years, especially the experience of 2022, have helped him grow his mental game by leaps and bounds.

That's helping Mims step into his new role as one of the leaders of the offensive line. He admitted he's not much of a vocal leader, but he also knows it's now on him to hold other Bulldogs to the Georgia standard.

For example, Mims has taken on a mentorship role with redshirt freshman tackle Earnest Greene.

"Me and Earnest talk every day, whether that’s football, not football, on-the-field stuff, off-the-field stuff," Mims said. "I feel like your relationship is important with your whole O-line. Me and him, like I said being from two different backgrounds, we can’t really relate to some things because he’s from Cali and I’m from Georgia. But we built a relationship strong. As the season goes on, we plan to keep building that relationship stronger."

Mims once played the role of a young player with a bright future ahead. Now he's the veteran, ready to eschew the rotational role and become an anchor of Georgia's offensive line.

It's a role he's been waiting for since he made that promise over a decade ago.

"I feel like now, I’ve just got to go out there and do what I’m capable of doing," Mims said. "Now the time has come. I feel like it’s my time. I feel like I can go out there, they’re depending on me. I feel like I can do it."