This week’s matchup of No. 13 Georgia and South Carolina is a homecoming for junior linebacker Channing Tindall.

A Columbia, S.C. native, Tindall grew up witnessing the rivalry between the two schools on the field and in his home.

“It’s always a good experience going back home,” he said. “My father is a Dawgs fan. My mother went to the University of South Carolina. So that rivalry has always been pretty big in my family. When I was a child, I went to games and watched Todd Gurley play against Marcus Lattimore—some of the greatest people out there. It’s very exciting for me. Now that I get to play in this, it’s just a better feeling.”

Tindall’s decision to attend UGA hinged on his desire to play out of state. While he loves his home, he wanted his next journey to happen outside the friendly confines of his home state.

“I grew up in South Carolina, but I wanted to explore more,” he said. “I’d been at home my whole life, so I wanted to get outside of home. I didn’t want to be too far away, so Georgia just checked all the boxes for me when I was looking out of state.”

Tindall played in all 14 games as a freshman, but didn’t record any stats in the trip to Williams-Brice Stadium in 2018. He’ll look to change that this time around, with his two younger siblings, two friends, and his father in attendance.

Tindall has seen more time as of late, due to injuries on Georgia’s defense and his improved play.

“It feels real good,” he said. “There was a lot I needed to work on. I’m starting to see little flashes within myself. Whether it’s reading keys or dropping out of coverage. Just seeing that success, you strive for it more and more. It’s like a hunger and an addiction type of thing.”

Tindall continued to explain how he’s been able to make the jump:

“A lot of film work and looking deep within myself,” he said. “Being honest about what I need to do to progress. I don’t feel like I was taking the necessary steps before to get where I was. Now, I feel like I’m starting to do that by looking at more film and just doing the little things.”

Georgia’s linebacker room, like all position groups, harps on being a family. The players aren’t shy about praising their teammates or accepting blame when needed. Tindall attributes a lot of his progression to his teammates, past and present, and the way they’ve continued to push him.

“Learning from guys like JT (Juwan Taylor), Natrez (Patrick), Monty (Rice), and guys that have always been older than me,” he said. “They’ve always pushed me to do better. Every time they see me hang my head down or see that I’m not getting anything, they always try to put a helping hand out there and make sure I got it. I really appreciate those guys, and I probably wouldn’t be in the position I'm in now and moving forward if it wasn’t for them.”

Tindall and his teammates will have the chance to make Saturday's trip to Columbia a worthwhile one.