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Published Dec 16, 2019
Tyrique Stevenson recaps his freshman campaign
Anthony Dasher  •  UGASports
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Looking back over his freshman year, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson said there were parts of it the former four-star wishes he could have had back.

“I just feel like I could have done a little more,” Stevenson said after Georgia’s loss to LSU in the SEC Championship. “I mean, I did my job, did everything the coaches and the team wanted from me, but I just think I could have done a little more.”

For those wondering, yes, that’s the competitor in Stevenson talking.

A native of Miami, Stevenson starred at Miami-Southridge, where his penchant for making big plays helped earn him the reputation as one of the more fearless cornerbacks in the entire state of Florida.

Nicknamed “The Freak,” Stevenson made a quick impression on defensive coordinator Dan Lanning, who told reporters early in fall camp that “you go watch practice, you watch that guy for a little bit and you’re saying, ‘Holy moly, we’ve got a ball player.’”

Stevenson would ultimately prove Lanning correct.

In 12 regular season games, the freshman would finish with nine tackles. More impressively, however, he finished second on the team with five pass breakups as basically the Bulldogs’ fourth corner behind Eric Stokes, Tyson Campbell and DJ Daniel.

Stevenson would play an even bigger role in the SEC Championship, earning a season-high 36 snaps in the loss to LSU.

Although the Bulldogs’ secondary had a difficult night against eventual Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow and the Tiger offense, Stevenson feels his experience will pay off next year.

“I think I was able to build trust with my teammates and coaches, and that showed (in the SEC Championship),” said Stevenson, who said getting on the field early for the Bulldogs was always the goal.

“I took an interest in the playbook, worked hard, and did whatever I could to earn everyone’s trust. That played a huge part in it,” he said. “I had to show the coaches and my teammates that I really wanted to be on the field.

“I’m just blessed to be a part of Georgia football.”

Head coach Kirby Smart is glad he is.

“When you go back to talking about havoc, when you put guys on the field, there are guys who do their assignments, and then there are guys who create production,” Smart said. “We want guys who can do both.”

In Stevenson, the Bulldogs feel they have just that kind of player.

“Divaad (Wilson) has really helped me a lot,” Stevenson said. “We've come from the same place; he was already up here, so he already knew how the system was. He really helped show me the basics and how to work my way up.”

Next year, Stevenson plans to take his game up another level.

“I want to be a leader of this team,” Stevenson said. “I have so much faith in our freshman class, the players we have coming back. We left a lot out there (at the SEC Championship). Next year, we won’t.”

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