Moderated by former Georgia quarterback D.J. Shockley, The Georgia Bulldog Club hosted an online “Football Student-Athlete Panel” consisting of current Bulldog players quarterback Jamie Newman, defensive back Richard LeCounte, and offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer. The Zoom meeting was shared by the club to its donors.
The meeting’s highlights:
What the players have been doing to stay in shape during the COVID-19 quarantine:
Newman: “Physically, I’ve been doing great. I’ve put on six pounds of muscle during the quarantine—surprisingly. It’s just me embracing the grind, keeping all my gear in the trunk [of my car], find an open field—wherever—where we can throw, getting a workout in. So, it’s been great during the quarantine. I’ve been trying to find extra things to stay sharp on, whether that’s extra meetings with Coach Monken (newly-hired offensive coordinator Todd Monken), or calling up the guys and going over some of the plays—simple things like that.”
LeCounte: “I’ve been doing pretty good. I can’t really complain, just working out, trying to run as much as I can, to keep my endurance up. It’s kind of hard simulating [UGA’s] summer strength and conditioning program at home by yourself with just one other person. But I’m just trying to keep everything intact, stay fit, and study my playbook, because I know the season is coming—and I need every little edge I can get.”
Salyer (who is said to weigh 312 pounds, after being as high as 345): “I knew coming into this year that I’d have to work on my weight, because I never knew what position I’d play, since we have a lot of freshmen coming in and guys who have left. So, I had to be ready to play any position. When I started the quarantine, my ideal weight was 318. So, as quarantine kept going, my weight kept going down. At one point, I was down to 309. But I didn’t want to go too far down, because this is the SEC. I feel pretty good. I feel in shape.”
Most impressive college football stadium/crowd (other than Sanford Stadium):
LeCounte: “Notre Dame (2017). That atmosphere was so electric, especially since I was a freshman, starting that game.” (He added Auburn, saying it often gets to where defenders who are standing next to one another often cannot verbally communicate because of the crowd noise.)
Salyer: “Auburn.” (Also mentioned the inability to hear. Added Tennessee.)
Newman on why he chose to transfer to Georgia: “It was really a no-brainer. What really pushed me to come to UGA was, so I could compete against that [Georgia] defense every day [in practice]. I might have to play in 12 games and in the SEC, but I would be going up against the best defense, every day in practice. Also, seeing all the defensive players who came back [for their senior year], it showed me they wanted to come back and win a championship.”
Newman on what quarterback(s) he may emulate: “If my girl was here, she could tell you, but I sometimes watch video all day of quarterbacks from all different eras. Last night, I was watching Steve McNair, because he’s a quarterback I feel like I’m similar to—big, country strong, tough, a competitor.” (He also added Cam Newton and Donovan McNabb.)
LeCounte on why he decided to return to Georgia for his senior season: “Not only for me but also the team. I wanted to leave the University of Georgia as accomplished as I could. And I knew there were a lot of younger guys who might need my guidance. I wanted to be a big brother to them, because I was in their same shoes before. I wanted to leave Georgia having made a mark on someone’s life. And I knew we would have a good chance to win the national championship this year.”
LeCounte on Coach Smart’s in-game persona: “If you’re not used to it, it can definitely throw your game off. He’s going to be the calmest person you know on Friday, pregame. You can come talk to him, and all that. But come Saturday, he don’t want to hear it. If you messed up or something like that, Coach [Smart] is like a wild banshee on gameday. Coach is definitely fired up.”
