There was no mistaking who right guard Warren Ericson was rooting for in the World Series between Atlanta and Houston.

The junior stepped in front of the camera for Wednesday’s post-practice Zoom session wearing the No. 5 jersey of Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman.

“I’m a Braves fan, actually a new Braves fan, but not just because of the World Series,” Ericson said. “My girlfriend is a lifelong Braves fan, and she’s the one who got me to fall in love with the sport. I love the statistics behind it, and how cool the game actually is, and the skill it takes to play the game.”

Atlanta native Jaylen Johnson was rooting for the hometown team home, too.

“I feel like the curse was broken,” Johnson said. “I used to be a baseball player. It definitely had me missing the baseball field a little bit.”

Ericson agreed.

“I mean, it certainly seems there has been an Atlanta sports curse, but I think last night got it back on the right track,” Ericson said. “That was fun to watch. It was really cool for the state of Georgia and Atlanta in general.”

Johnson and Ericson aren’t the only Braves fans on the team. On the contrary. Per Johnson, basically any member of the team qualifies as a fan of the World Series champs.

“Definitely all the guys from Georgia,” Johnson said. “But even those who aren’t, when you’re at Georgia for so long, you kind of convert to the Braves and Falcons, because of the influence they have.”

… On George Pickens’ recovery: “George is doing a great job with his recovery and his rehab,” Johnson said. “He loves the field, he loves the ball, and we all miss him, because he’s a great teammate. He’s doing everything he can.”

… On cracking the lineup: "It’s always going to be hard to crack the lineup at any position at Georgia, because of the talent and the depth we have. You’ve got to do what you can, know your role, embrace it, and you must give every play 100 percent effort. That’s what I try to do every day; focus on me and try to make myself the best player I can be to help the team."

… On being the No. 1 team: "It’s definitely cool to be number one. I’d be lying if I said it wasn't, but you can't pay too much attention to it, because out of the last seven number one teams in this ranking, only one won the national championship. So, it’s kind of rat poisoning, like Coach Smart says. We haven't proven anything yet; all we've done is secure a spot in the SEC Championship, which is not what we want to do. We want more than that."

… On Zamir White’s 42-yard touchdown run against Florida: "Going into it, we were going to run a counter play. We knew we had the right leverage going up to the line. We saw where they were shifted over. I knew what I had to do. I knew had to get a strong kickout in order to open up that seam for him to run. As soon as I got enough space, I saw him go down the field, and there were no blue jerseys left. I was so pumped. I sprinted down as fast as I could. That was such a cool moment to finish off the game."

… On what he learned under Coach Richt in 2005: “Just a lot about the game of football. Learning the management of it. I was a young coach then; I'd been a graduate assistant for two (years), a fulltime coach for three (years). A lot about recruiting. A lot about relationships. Coach Richt’s demeanor and leading of the team. Things like that. That was a valuable year, probably most because I was on the other (offensive) side of the ball.”

… On the CFP, the top four teams all having head coaches who served Alabama’s staff: “It’s probably not a coincidence. I think a lot of it comes from where are you coaching? How fertile of a recruiting area is it? When you win, you have people on your staff that get jobs. So, number one, you have to recruit well, and you have to win to get that opportunity. When that happens, you usually get good opportunities. A lot of guys you're referencing are at really well-established universities that have an opportunity to recruit well and be successful. Their administration supports them at those places. Probably why those guys went and got those jobs, they were good jobs, in terms of being able to win and do things. I think that has a lot to do with it. Obviously Coach Saban and his influence is a big piece of that. There are a lot of teams out there that have people from the Alabama staff. I think if you did a study, there would be somebody from almost every staff that has one time or another overlapped (at Alabama). A lot of guys overlap over time."

… On Darnell Washington and Arian Smith: “They both are really doing well. Darnell’s foot is almost fully recovered. His stamina continues to improve. Being able to play snaps and do things. He’s done a nice job pushing through. He’s gotten better each week. Arian, kind of the same way.”