Nazir Stackhouse turning heads
Nazir Stackhouse has always stood out in a crowd. When you are 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, it’s kind of hard not to.
The former standout at Stephenson and Columbia High has used his talent and athleticism to earn a scholarship from Georgia. He then committed very early in the process and eventually signed with UGA. Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, Stackhouse will arrive on campus with the rest of the Bulldogs’ incoming class.
His future, obviously, is bright.
However, it wasn’t Stackhouse’s football prowess that recently had Twitter abuzz. No, it was his performance in the 100-meter dash at a recent track meet that really caused heads to turn.
It wasn’t just the fact that Stackhouse ran in the event, it’s how he did, following a second-place finish in the video depicted above.
“I’ve got to be fast to get to the quarterback, right?” Stackhouse joked. “I surprised myself.”
According to Stackhouse, his time of 13.1 wasn’t even his best.
“That’s not bad; I was running against (racers) 160 pounds,” he said. “I’ve run a 12.7.”
Stackhouse joked that he’s up to giving Trayvon Walker a run for his money on the kickoff team. Walker, you’ll recall, was a major contributor for the Bulldogs covering kicks last season. Stackhouse laughed that it might be pretty cool to have two 300 pounders chasing down returners.
“Yeah, I’m up for that,” Stackhouse said. “Anytime, anytime.”
Stackhouse wishes he was still running. Actually, he wishes he was doing anything.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting life changes have put a crimp in his preparation for the day he ultimately arrives at UGA.
Unfortunately, there’s currently no telling when that might be. With all classes at Georgia and throughout the state scheduled to go online in a week, it's tough to say when students will ultimately be allowed back on campus.
According to Stackhouse, the message from Bulldog coaches has been simple.
“They just want to make sure everyone is safe,” Stackhouse said. “But it’s tough. I was really looking forward to the Georgia spring game. They don’t have that now, so we’ve just got to get prepared the best we can.”
It’s certainly understandable why Stackhouse can’t wait to get started.
The nation’s No. 225 overall prospect was actually the founding member of Georgia’s 2020 class, giving his verbal commitment on the same day in 2017 the Bulldogs beat Auburn for the SEC Championship.
“We’re building a championship team,” said Stackhouse. “We want to beat LSU. We want to beat Alabama; we want to beat Auburn. We’re gonna beat Florida, we’re gonna beat South Carolina—we’re going to beat these teams.”
Although he never backed off his commitment, Stackhouse said other schools continued to push hard.
Among them, Tennessee, Alabama, and especially Auburn, tried to convince the big defensive tackle to reconsider. He almost listened.
“There was a time I ALMOST flipped—just a little bit,” he said. “But I was thinking more about what people were wanting for me instead of what I wanted for myself.”
Ultimately, Stackhouse asked himself one simple question.
“Just go where your heart is,” he said. “I asked myself, ‘Do you want to go to Georgia?’ That answer was yes.”
The fact he’s a Georgia native played a big role in the decision.
“I’ve got a lot of pride in that,” Stackhouse said. “I carry that with me every day. I’m a Georgia guy. Everybody around is proud of me, and I want to make them proud.”
Stackhouse has some goals before he ultimately arrives in the Classic City.
One is to get his weight under 300 pounds. He hopes to begin his freshman season somewhere in the 295-298 range, and get even faster than what he already is.
“Obviously, I’ve got to work on my technique,” Stackhouse said. “A lot depends on technique. But once I get that right, I can just go out and play the game.”