What are the Bulldogs getting in their newest commitment?

We went to Gaffney High defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Randy Birch for insight on four-star lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, as he sees the big man each and every day at practice and works closely with him.

UGASports.com: First off, let's talk about him away from the football field as a guy in the locker room, as a guy around campus, just the vibe that he brings and how he interacts with the other kids at school.

Birch: Well, Tyrion's always kind of been a pretty popular kid at our school from ninth grade up. I think his peers have always kind of seen his potential, maybe even before Tyrion did. Our older kids last year really pushed him really hard. We had a couple of signings to App State and Furman last year, and those guys still stayed on Tyrion about how he could be better than they are. I think he bought into that, and he kind of craved the attention that they had and he put the work in in the weight room. He's always been a guy that's always around at all those school events and athletic events. He's always got the attention, and he finally developed into a player that deserved a lot. We always knew he would.

I guess in the locker room and in the huddle... What kind of guy is he? Is he vocal leader? Is he a guy who's kind of quiet out there? A rah-rah guy? Or is he a guy who kind of leads by example?

Birch: Well, I'd say this year he's became a lot more vocal. He's really taken on the leadership aspect. He was kind of in the back seat of that last year. What we considered one of our better players last year tore his ACL midway through the year, and Tyrion wasted no time taking over Jamar's role as the vocal leader and leading through example last year. He really embraced that role and like I said, he took no time. He took over that job, and his first week after the young man tore his ACL, he started off with a big game. We were like, "Oh my God, where's this kid been at". He continued on, having a bunch of big games and that kind of led all the attention and offers and whatnot from you guys and everybody else.

Can you tell me a little bit about him as a player though. What are some of the things that he does well? Some of the things that you guys see on a daily basis, even in practice, but also when game situations, what are some of the things that this kid excels at?

Birch: Well, first and foremost, the biggest thing, obviously, is that he's 6'6", 305 pounds, but his natural get off the ball, his ability to pin was always there. Along came the extra length and the mass just propelled that even more. The most impressive part about it is he's actually gotten quicker and faster after he's gained this last 50 pounds.

I've seen some work from him on the hardwood to playing basketball. And I mean, it looks like he's a guy who can get out there, throw that body around, but he's not just a big lug, he's got solid footwork. He looks like a guy who knows how to leverage that body and really use it.

Birch: Yeah. We encourage all of our kids to play multiple sports at our high school. It's definitely something that's benefited him, because he's running up down the court and using body position to leverage and things like that. It's definitely benefited him. He was kind of born with some of that. His mom played basketball at Gardner-Webb University, and she owns a bunch of records for their women's basketball. He was born with a little bit of that. I think him continuing to play is definitely helped him on the football field as well.

I don't think at any guy at this point is a finished product. What are some of the things that he can still continue to improve on?

Birch: Well, it's only like any other kid, continue to get stronger. I think he can improve his body composition a little bit. His conditioning can get a little bit better, but I think part of that was the COVID stuff going on and him missing several weeks of our conditioning. He worked on his own, but everybody knows it's not the same when they're not involved in a team and coach setting.

Can you talk to me a little bit about any interactions that you had with Georgia throughout this and just their staff. What it was like to have them recruit one of your players and to kind of spend time and talk with those guys.

Birch: Yeah. We've had a bunch of interactions with a bunch of the big schools, and Georgia being one of those. Kirby Smart's came by the school, Coach Tray Scott's came by several times, and we've got a great relationship. I think he really likes coach Tray Scott and he really enjoys Kirby Smart. Those guys were very down to Earth, and they just seemed like regular guys that just happens to coach football, kind of like a high school football coach when they visit and call. I think that makes them feel comfortable with those guys.

Anything that you want people to know about this kid, whether it's as a player or as a person?

Birch: I'm going to end up giving you the same old generic answer everybody else was going to give you about being a good kid and having a big smile. His energy definitely rubs off on everybody, including the coachs. When Ty comes and he's in a mood that just smacks some people around, it definitely rubs off on his teammates. When he's in a joking and have a good mood kind of time, that kind of rubs off on people, too.