INDIANAPOLIS – Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has some advice for the 24 newcomers getting ready to go through practice at Georgia for the first time.

Be prepared to be humbled.

When he first arrived at Georgia four years ago, Ingram-Dawkins said he thought the adjustment to college football would be a breeze. He soon learned that would not be the case.

“That definitely is something that molded me into the person I am today,” Ingram-Dawkins said Wednesday from the NFL Combine. “That’s a core memory of what I remember at Georgia. You get to be humbled. In high school, you’re used to winning a lot of reps. At Georgia, you’re going to lose.”

However, it was those tough lessons on the practice field at Georgia’s football practice facility that Ingram-Dawkins credits for making the player he is today and good enough to earn this week’s invitation to the NFL Combine,

“I definitely would tell them (younger players) to just believe in themselves and be patient with themselves. You know, because when you're a defensive lineman coming out of high school, you know, you're usually just taught to make a play. But when you go to college, you got to focus on the type of block, the type of technique, footwork, and hand placement,” he said. “You’ve got to be patient with yourself and just believe in yourself that you can get it down fast.”

Give position coach Tray Scott a lot of credit.

“Great coach. You know, great developer,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “Just looking back at the player that I came at Georgia and just seeing how I am now at the end of my college career, he definitely developed me not only as a player but also as a person.”

Of course, head coach Kirby Smart played a role, too.

“He's not going to spare you. You know, he's going to let you know how you are,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “He's not going to pat you on the back. He's going to always tell you what you need to get better at.”

Although he does not have specific goals in mind, Ingram-Dawkins said he will take part in every event on Thursday when the NFL puts the defensive linemen and linebackers in attendance through their respective paces.

“I just want to show them my athleticism, that I can do everything and run fast and jump out,” said Ingram-Dawkins, who said the memory of his last visit to Indianapolis is something he will never forget.

The South Carolina native was a freshman on Georgia’s 2021 national championship team, which beat Alabama across the street at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“Definitely winning the Nattie. I mean, I can't really tell you which Nattie (is his favorite) because we won two,” said Ingram-Dawkins, who explained that patience was also an area where he grew.

“I had to be patient,” said Ingram-Dawkins, who did not start a game until this year’s contest at Kentucky.

“That was my first career start; I had my career high in snaps (64),” he said. “I played 64 snaps in that game. I felt like I was able to play at a high level.”