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Published Nov 7, 2018
Wednesday Post-Practice Notebook
Anthony Dasher  •  UGASports
Editor

No Social Media for these Dawgs

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In an era where Social Media plays such a huge role in the lives of people, Georgia tight end Charlie Woerner and offensive lineman Solomon Kindley definitely go against the norm.

Kindley has a Twitter account, but is rarely on.

Woerner takes it a step further. He’s not on Social Media at all. No Twitter or Facebook account for him.

“I do it for a lot of reasons. One, I feel I’m already on my phone enough, and don’t need to be on it,” Woerner said after practice Wednesday. “My purpose in life—not that anything’s bad about it—I just don’t need social media in my life to achieve what I want in this world.”

Kindley agreed.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on,” he said. “I don’t even know the last time.”

Although you won’t find players online much during the season, it’s not difficult to find those that do.

“When some things happen, when the negative side comes up, I’m like, why do these guys have it?” Woerner said. “Some people aren’t mentally ready to be reading some of that stuff, especially when people start hating on you, calling you out.”

That’s one of the big reasons that Kindley stays off it as much as he does.

“People back home will tell me somebody might write something negative, but I don’t have time to be focused on that stuff,” he said. “I let it go through one ear and out the other.”

Woerner, Kindley give their take on Black Jerseys

Mark down Kindley and Woerner as part of Camp ‘Meh’ when it comes to the Bulldogs and their ballyhooed black jerseys.

“It’s just another jersey,” said Kindley, when asked if getting to wear the black jerseys would be a big deal. “I don’t really know.”

Woerner felt the same.

“As a player, I don’t know,” Woerner said. “For me, it doesn’t really matter. I think it would be cool, but would it make me play better? I don’t think so. That comes from the week in practice.” Woerner wore the black jerseys the last time Georgia donned the uniforms in 2016 against Louisiana-Lafayette.

He also got to try them on when visiting as a recruit.

“We got to try them on,” Woerner said. “But a lot of that flashy stuff doesn’t matter to me."

Familiarity not breeding contempt for Georgia

Georgia and Auburn will be playing for the third time in the past calendar year. But just because the Bulldogs have a lot of familiarity with the Tigers, that doesn’t mean they study film and tendencies any less.

“We got at it even harder, because we know we’ve got so much at stake,” Kindley said. “We know they’re going to come in here and try to ruin our season. When we study them, we look at them even tougher.”

Kindley said the fact Auburn’s defensive front is considered one of the best in the SEC makes that decision an easy one.

“All four of those guys are good,” said Kindley, who last year found himself matched up against touted defensive lineman Derrick Brown.

“When I get in, I have to change my mindset; it’s time to go,” Kindley said. “I’ve got my team, my family, people who are depending on me. It’s a whole different ball game. It’s time to get serious and get my job done.”

Dawgs keep eyes out overseas for recruits

More and more, it’s not just the United States that colleges turn to when recruiting potential football players.

Some look overseas as well. Auburn punter Arryn Siposs hails from Melbourne, Australia. Other teams, like Georgia, keep their eyes peeled for any overseas prospects who might fit the football bill.

“We certainly do, especially from a kicker’s standpoint. It’s kind of been a trend going on in college football, with the Australian-style punter, especially with guys who can punt traditional, punt while moving, and things like that,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “All the kicking services that most of us use, they go and they find those guys, and most of us are in competition to get the best ones. Some of those are from other countries, particularly from Australia—especially the kicking.”

But that’s not all.

Ppirecruits.com is an organization whose mission it is to grow the game of American football overseas, with the goal of ultimately placing players on programs in the USA.

“There are also positions where kids come from other countries,” Smart said. “Over the summer, we’ve had guys come in from all over—different countries—to work out for us and be able to evaluate those guys.”

Isaiah Wilson making steady progress

How has redshirt freshman Isaiah Wilson progressed in his first season as Georgia’s right tackle?

According to head coach Kirby Smart, progress is being made.

“He's grown. He's getting better. I thought last year, he got frustrated early and just kept working. He spent some time on the scout team, but got better,” Smart said. “He still is a work in progress, just like our team is. I mean there's things that he didn't do right Saturday. He plays physical. He's a big man. He's worked hard to get better.”

Wilson, who graded out a 66 percent against Kentucky according to Pro Football Focus, figures to be tested by Auburn, which boasts one of the SEC’s top defensive lines.

“He's held up against some tough guys in pass pro. I think he takes pride in that. But he'll be the first to tell you that he didn't do some things right Saturday in the run game that he's got to improve on, and that he's going to play against some really good front guys this week,” Smart said. “When you don't step with the right foot, you don't take the right angle, you don't approach things the right way, these guys can expose you. So, he'll keep working, and hopefully he'll keep getting better.”

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