A lot was made over the summer when pictures surfaced on Social Media of quarterback Jake Fromm in the hospital with a fishing lure stuck in his leg.
However, Ben Cleveland didn’t give his buddy a hard time.
“None. It was one of those things that happens to everybody,” Georgia’s right tackle said. “I think I’ve had five or six hooks shoved in me, but I’m not Jake Fromm so it doesn’t end up on the Internet.”
Cleveland cracked a wry smile.
The relative anonymity of being an offensive lineman can have its advantages, although when it comes to standing out in a crowd, Cleveland has been doing that all his life.
At 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds, he’s hard to miss.
“Growing up in a small town I never looked at myself as anything special. I love the game of football, and growing up that’s what I wanted to do,” Cleveland said. “I just took everything in stride and do everything. I don’t look at myself any different than any other guy on the team. I’m here to do what I can do to make this university the best.”
A reporter joked with Cleveland that he’s already got one of the best beards on the team.
“Thank you. It’s been growing a little while,” said Cleveland, who chuckled when asked the last time any scissors have touched his face.
“That’s a good question. I trimmed it probably a month ago for a wedding. I trimmed it down to about nothing then it got back to here,” Cleveland said. “I feel like I’d look really weird with a baby face now.”
As for that touch of gray that’s already popping up on the redshirt sophomore.
“Hey, let’s don’t talk about gray hair,” Cleveland said. “But yeah … I get it honest.”
Those were just some of the comments made by Cleveland, who along with the rest of his teammates are now just a matter of days from Saturday’s season-opener against Austin Peay (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.).
For more of the conversation with Cleveland, check out the conversation below.
How is this year different than last season when you were still trying to find your way?
Cleveland: “I don’t know. I felt I did everything I could to get on the field early in the year, so when they gave me the chance later in the year I just made the most of it.”
What was it like redshirting as a 17-year-old?
Cleveland: “it made you grow up fast, but that was something I kind of expected walking in here. I knew what was in store for me, so I just tried to make the most of it.”
On playing side by side with Isaiah Wilson.
Cleveland: “We’re both big and strong, that right side can be something special. We try to work on communication with each other, make sure we each know what’s going on with the other one just as good as the next does so. I feel as long as we continue to do what we’re supposed to we can be unstoppable on the front five.”
Have you gotten better?
Cleveland: “Absolutely. Our offseason conditioning program, you have no option but to get better. We’ve been working all winter, all summer, so absolutely, I think every guy on the team has improved dramatically.” What do you need to improve?
Cleveland: “Play with my hands in pass protection better. I feel that’s something I went out and work on every single day, and I feel like it’s paying off now.”
Have you ever thought of making your first tackle?
Cleveland: “I just hope whenever it comes to making a tackle in the open field on someone who weighs 200 pounds less than I do, I hope I don’t get embarrassed.”
On being hunting buddies with Fromm, Charlie Woerner and Cade Mays.
Cleveland: “That’s one of the things that bring us all together. Obviously being on the football team, we spend a lot of our time here but during duck season, deer season, summertime fishing, any chance we get, there’s a lot of weekends we’ll come back here and go straight to duck hunting, go in the morning and come back here for workouts in the afternoon. It’s good to get away. We all grew up doing that. It’s therapeutic to us. One of those things where you go and forget about everything else.”
