Junior Jamaree Salyer can't lie.
When he was being recruited from Pace Academy as the nation’s top-rated guard, playing left tackle at Georgia was not exactly on his mind.
Oh, but how things can change. Saturday at Arkansas (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network), Salyer will indeed be making his first start at a position he has yet to play in two previous years at Georgia.
“Honestly, at this level, it’s kind of hard to say that I did,” said Salyer. “I didn’t think I would be. But probably midway through last year, I started thinking that maybe I could play outside, because I made that transition from last year, just on the other side.”
Indeed.
Salyer thought playing guard would be his home. But last year, he began working out at right tackle, starting against Murray State, following an ankle injury to Isaiah Wilson; and again in the Sugar Bowl against Baylor, when Wilson left early for the NFL.
With Cade Mays leaving for Tennessee and facing the possibility of having to put a younger, less experienced player at such an important position on the offensive line, head coach Kirby Smart turned to arguably the best athlete of the position group: Salyer.
“Coming out of high school, I was the No. 1 guard coming out, so I wasn’t really thinking about being the left tackle at Georgia,” Salyer said. “That’s what happened, and I’m really excited about the opportunity. But to say that I was expecting that, it's kind of hard to say. I played tackle in high school. Of course, that's not like playing tackle in the SEC, but I’ve worked really hard for this, and really excited to see how it turns out.”
Salyer said he could not be more ready.
“I’m excited to go out and compete. I'm a competition guy. I love going out there and competing. I know they’ve (Arkansas) got some good edge rushers, but I’m excited about seeing what they’ve got,” Salyer said. “I’ve worked really hard for this moment. I worked every day during quarantine to keep my weight down, working on my technique, but the biggest thing for me is, I'm just ready to go out and compete against somebody else. I go against our defense every day.”
After playing at 325 pounds in each of his first two years with the Bulldogs, Salyer now comes in at 315, and hopes to be even lower by the end of the year.
He has plenty of motivation.
Salyer just watched former teammate Andrew Thomas get drafted with the fourth pick in the first round by the New York Giants. Thomas is now the team’s starting left tackle in what is his rookie season in the NFL.
“We worked out a lot over the quarantine. He had a big matchup this past weekend himself, so I was excited to see him go out and compete. It got me really fired up, because we’ve always worked out together, so to see him go out there,” Salyer said. “It’s fun to see him progress. We used to play together in high school, then from high school to college, and now in the NFL, it’s been fun.”
Salyer said the two still keep in touch, talking approximately twice a week.
With the opener now three days away, Salyer is ready to start making an impact of his own.
“Being a guy that’s been here two years and sitting behind two great players, two first-rounders (Thomas and Wilson), I feel like this is the season for me to go out there and prove myself and do a lot of things that people say I can’t do,” Salyer said. “I’m really excited for the opportunity. Like I said, it’s the season I’ve been waiting for.”
