By John Frierson
Staff Writer
It was a little over a year ago that Georgia defensive back Eric Stokes sat down — remember when you could comfortably and casually sit across from someone? — for his first Quick Chat. One of the things he talked about was the trip he’d taken to Pensacola, Fla., that summer, and how much he’d enjoyed riding a Jet Ski for the first time.
It was a big thing, he said, because he didn’t know how to swim. And Stokes, now a junior on the preseason watch lists for all the major defensive honors like the Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, said last August that one goal he had was to learn how to swim. That goal, he told me during another Quick Chat, after practice Tuesday, has been achieved.
Among the things the 6-foot-1 and 185-pound Stokes, from Covington, Ga., did when so much was shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, along with tons of working out to be ready for this season, was learn how to swim. He also talked about Saturday’s season opener at Arkansas, dunking a basketball, Hot Wheels and much more.
Here’s some of what he had to say:
Frierson: After everything that’s gone on over the past six months or so, what does it feel like to be in the middle of a game week again?
Stokes: Of course it feels weird and all that stuff, but now that our schedule is getting back to normal, it’s a great feeling that you’ve missed.
Frierson: What were you doing during the spring when everything was shut down? How did you fill the downtime that you suddenly had?
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