UGA Football: Frierson Chats With Justin Shaffer

Georgia senior offensive lineman Justin Shaffer loves green grapes. They are, in fact, a preferred pre-practice snack. At about 4 calories per grape, Shaffer would have to eat a lot of them to get much of an energy surge, but that’s kind of the point, he explained after practice Wednesday.

A 6-foot-4 and 330-pound left guard from Ellenwood, Ga., near Atlanta, Shaffer was a three-star recruit coming out of Cedar Grove High School. He arrived at Georgia in 2017 and played in eight games as a backup during that season’s run to the College Football Playoff. The next season, he played in 12 games as a reserve.

In 2019, Shaffer came in off the bench because of an injury and played a lot in the win over Notre Dame. He then made his first collegiate start against Tennessee, playing every offensive snap. He also started against South Carolina, but then missed the rest of the season with an injury.

Healthy and ready to go in 2020, Shaffer started the first nine games at left guard before moving to right guard for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and he’s started at left guard each game in 2021.

During our Quick Chat, Shaffer talked about his football journey to this point. He also discussed those grapes, the life of a big man, and much more. Here’s some of what he had to say:

Frierson: Do you remember how you first got started playing football?

Shaffer: It started when I was 9 years old. There was a park right down the street from me and they were having football tryouts and coaching tryouts. Me and my dad when over there and my dad got the defensive coaching job and I played on the 10-and-under team. My story starts there.

From there, I went to another park and played for another team, I went to middle school, I went to high school, and coming into high school I was always underrated. I was the oversized kid that nobody thought was going to be good. Once it got toward the end (of high school) and the scholarships weren’t coming in like I expected them to, I was like, what am I going to do? …

I kept working and got here, and I thought I was going to be able to come in and start as a freshman. People in front of me were better than me so I just stayed humble, stayed patient, just waited for my turn. And when my turn came, I got the chance to play and start but then I got hurt. Then I came back with a chip on my shoulder, just working hard knowing everything I had to do to get back on the field.

Frierson: What does it feel like to be where you are now, having had to work to get your shot and then come back from a serious injury?

Shaffer: I feel like I reached one of my goals, but I’ve got plenty more goals that I’ve got to reach.

Frierson: When did you get big? Were you always the biggest, tallest kid in your classes?

Shaffer: I was always the big kid, from elementary school all the way through high school?

Frierson: Was that tough in some ways, just because through no fault of your own you stand out from your classmates?

Shaffer: No, not really, because I always felt like nobody could touch me and nobody could mess with me. Everybody was always wanting to be cool with me because I was the biggest person in school.

Frierson: Those of us that are average-sized, what don’t we get about going through life as big as you and a lot of your teammates?

Shaffer: Things like buying clothes or getting an airplane seat, those are more complicated. When I go to the airport, I’ve got to have a bench seat because I know that flight’s going to be uncomfortable the whole hour or two hours, however long the flight is. I’ve got to pay the extra money to get a bench seat.

Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?

Shaffer: It would have to be J.D. (Jordan Davis).

Frierson: Every time. In the past, there were guys like Richard LeCounte and Mark Webb, but this season everyone goes straight to Jordan. Is anyone even close?

Shaffer: He’s winning by a mile. Just to see somebody that big and goofy, you can’t do anything but laugh.

Frierson: What’s something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?

Shaffer: Grapes — green grapes. I love me some green grapes.

Frierson: Is that a daily thing for you?

Shaffer: Sometimes I’ll come in before practice and eat a whole little jug of them before I go out to practice. That’s just because I don’t like to go to practice on a heavy stomach.

Frierson: Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be a regular student, just going to class, studying and maybe working part-time in a shop somewhere?

Shaffer: Sometimes I’ll think about it and I’ll be like, I just wonder how it would feel to be just a student. But some of my friends that I talk to, the way they complain about it, I don’t know if I want to be a regular student. I’m grateful for where I’m at, just because they’re like, I’ve got to do this, I don’t have a tutor, so I’m grateful for the position that I’m in.

(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He’s also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.