After finishing fall camp on Sunday, offensive tackle Justin Shaffer and defensive back Ameer Speed addressed the media over Zoom on Tuesday to talk about the rapidly approaching 2021-22 football season.

Managing expectations

Coming into this season, the Bulldogs are faced with high expectations after returning a plethora of starters from last year on both offense and defense. Georgia returns 65% of its total production from the 2020 season, according to ESPN writer Bill Connelly.

Offensive expectations can be attributed in large part to the return of JT Daniels, who went 4-0 as a starter last season. Shaffer noted that in order for the offense to manage expectations they have to be on the same page.

“At the end of the day, it is all about working together as a team and as an offense,” Shaffer said. “I feel that we are going to be way more explosive because we have so much more talent surrounding the team. Everyone has been working together and working on the same page.”

On defense, the Bulldogs were faced with questions at defensive back which has given players like Speed the chance to compete for the starting spot.

As a senior, Speed is enjoying the opportunity to prove himself on and off the field as a leader. He noted how important it was to step up for the younger players who may not be accustomed to such high expectations.

“It is crazy as you get older, your thought process and the way you see things just evolves on and on,” Speed said. “Just seeing that influence that you have on people on the team, it does mean a lot. You can feel it at practice with the old guys helping the young guys and just us all being there for each other.”

Meshing together

With fall camp in the books, the Bulldogs have had the chance to work closely with each other and become a tight-knit group.

Despite injuries and personal issues for a few key players, Speed felt as though he was on the same page as his teammates. The talent that Georgia’s roster possesses has created a “next man up” mentality.

“We have just been trying to be a brotherhood. Coach Addae, Coach Smart, Coach Monken have been working with us all, allowing us all to perfect our crafts and just being the best we can be,” Speed said.

Shaffer noted how much belief he has in his teammates to succeed around him. Even with injuries to guys like Warren Ericson, Shaffer believes that the connection among the offensive line is strong and trusts that the next man will step up.

“I feel like since I have been here [the offensive line] has just gotten closer and closer. I feel like we have just been growing and growing,” Shaffer said. “Me just being the older guy in the room I feel like I have to be the guy that is everyone’s big brother and make sure that everyone is connecting. At the end of the day we are all one unit.”

One day at a time

Georgia kicks off its 2021 football campaign on Sept. 4 with a top five matchup against Clemson in Charlotte, North Carolina.

While not shying away from conversations about Clemson, the idea of opening the season against such a tough opponent seems to have taken the backseat for Georgia players as they look to better themselves and the team, one day at a time.

“I feel like we are not just preparing for Clemson but for everyone. We still have work we have to do as a team offensively and defensively,” Shaffer said. “Clemson is not our main focus but us working on each other is our main focus.”

For Shaffer and the offensive line, they’ll face a tough task in trying to slow down Clemson’s fierce defensive line.

Speed mentioned how fall camp wasn’t necessarily a time to focus on prepping for Clemson. He added that there are still a few weeks before week one, and that fall camp was a time to focus on getting better as a player and team.

“I have just been taking things day by day and using every day to really get better as a team and as a player, as a brother and as a person,” Speed said. “We are just taking it step by step and not letting everything get too ahead of us, like coach says ‘moving day by day, live in the moment to be able to perfect that day so I can move on to the next day.’”

Printed with permission from the Red & Black independent student media organization based in Athens, Georgia; redandblack.com/sports