Dustin Royston has known Bulldog right guard and fellow Stephens County high alum Ben Cleveland for much of his life. That shouldn't be any surprise: he's a native of Toccoa.
Saturday, the two will renew acquaintances, only this time, they will be on opposite sides of the field.
As the defensive line coach for visiting Middle Tennessee State (7:15, ESPN), Royston knows what job faces him. He must figure out to slow down Cleveland and the rest of a Bulldog offensive line that dominated South Carolina in last week’s 41-17 victory over the Gamecocks.
Royston remembers him well.
“Ben was in the fifth grade, and I was a senior in high school. I was getting ready, saving up money to come to Georgia in June. It was like April or May,” said Royston, who umpired local baseball games in the weeks prior to re-enrolling at UGA.
“He was on the Little League team. I'd heard about Ben. He was the big kid that everybody was talking about. So, he comes up to the plate, I’m behind the plate, and he didn’t have a strike zone,” Royston said. “The catcher was way down there; Ben was already 6-3, 6-4 —he was just a mountain of a kid.”
The two also worked together on the Royston family farm.
“My dad (Ronnie) coached him, and his brother Ryan, who played baseball at Georgia Southern. The whole family, and Ben used to come to the farm and work,” Royston said. “I’d run the chainsaw, and Ben would be moving these big ol' logs.”
Saturday, the Blue Raiders will have to try and move Cleveland, along with the rest of Georgia's massive offensive line.
“Our guys have seen the tape. They’ve already started watching. That offensive line is probably the best I’ve seen since I’ve gotten into coaching college,” Royston said. “The offensive staff there, they do a phenomenal job. They’re physical, hard-nosed guys, great pad level, great steps. Our guys will be excited for the challenge.”
Of course, getting back to Georgia, where he played for several years before graduating in 2012, is pretty cool, too.
“It’s going to be fun,” Royston said. “I’m very excited. Our guys from Georgia, they asked me if I was ready. I told them my eligibility is up, but no doubt I’m looking forward to the game.”
He won’t be the only one.
Middle Tennessee State boasts 23 players who call the Peach State home, along with a handful of coaches, including former Clemson and Memphis head coach Tommy West.
That’s not all.
Royston, who served as a graduate assistant at Alabama with current Bulldog outside linebacker coach Dan Lanning (who came to UGA from Memphis) credits Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart with getting him his first big break as a coach while serving that year (2015) on the staff of the Crimson Tide.
“For me, having played for Georgia and Coach (Mark) Richt, my relationship with Coach Smart, Coach (Glenn) Schumann, Coach Lanning, and Coach (Mel) Tucker, all those guys who helped show me how to be a coach and get in this business,” said Royston, who was hired for his full-time gig once the NCAA approved the 10th assistant for college teams.
“Coach Stock (MTSU coach Rich Stockstill) got with me late December and said he was considering me, that he was pleased with what I'd done,” said Royston, who served as a grad assistant on the MTSU staff last fall. “It kind of took me by surprise. They let me know in January. I was on the road recruiting a little bit as a GA when it happened.
"I’m just grateful for the opportunity. I didn’t know if I was going to do special teams or what. But (Stockstill) saw enough in me, along with Coach West, Coach (Scott) Shaffer, our defensive coordinator—three guys who have been just as instrumental in my development as Kirby and those guys.”
