UGA Football: Frierson Chats With Dominick Blaylock

Georgia wide receiver Dominick Blaylock is back healthy again, at last. Two knee injuries knocked him out for all of the 2020 season and much of 2021, when he saw limited action, playing in four games and making two catches.

Blaylock did help out on the scout team during practice last season. Blaylock had 18 receptions for 310 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman in 2019, before the first torn ACL ended his season in the SEC Championship Game. His 2020 season never got started due to the second knee injury. But now Blaylock is feeling good and feeling fast.

During a Quick Chat after practice last Thursday, Blaylock, the son of former longtime NBA point guard Mookie Blaylock, talked about last season, playing other sports, cooking, and much more. Here’s some of what he had to say:

Frierson: How often do you think about what this team accomplished in 2021? Is it an everyday thing or do you have to put it out of your mind as you move forward and prepare for next season?

Blaylock: It was obviously a great experience winning a national championship. Moving past the fact that we won a national championship and now it’s a new season, and obviously a lot of people have left and we’ve got new guys coming in, it’s hard to move past the fact that we won a national championship because it hasn’t happened in a long time, but we’ve got to know that it’s a new season and we’ve got to put our mind to that.

Frierson: What was last season like for you, when you weren’t able to be out there the way you’d like?

Blaylock: One of my big roles on the team last year, most people probably don’t like being on scout but I would go on scout team last year and go have fun down there. I’d try to give them (the defense) the best look to help them see what they’re going to expect in the national championship or before the Michigan game. I just tried to play a big role in scout team and help the defense.

Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up? What were you good at and what were you maybe not so good at?

Blaylock: One sport that I enjoyed playing was baseball. That was always fun and I’ll go play catch in the yard every now and then, and I’ll go swing a bat every now and then. I also played golf, golf’s very fun. Those were probably the main two.

Frierson: Given the playing career your dad had, was basketball ever one of your sports?

Blaylock: Basketball was not a sport that I was very good at. I would always shoot the ball and always airball, so that sport just didn’t get handed down to me.

Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on this year’s team?

Blaylock: Jackson Meeks is a funny guy. He’s the funny one in the (wide receiver) group.

Frierson: How valuable is it to have someone funny around that can keep things light during the long grind of a season?

Blaylock: I guess the thing we always talk about is connection, and it’s always good to joke around with the team and the players around here. If you have a good connection within the team you’re always going to be a good unit and you’re going to have good communication on the team.

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

Blaylock: That would probably be spaghetti, spaghetti and meatballs.

Frierson: How are you in the kitchen?

Blaylock: I can make some eggs but that’s about it [laughs]. I usually put some cheese and maybe turkey on there, and then after that’s done I’ll splash some hot sauce on there.

Frierson: When you look back at the player and person you were when you first got to Georgia, have you changed a great deal in the past few years?

Blaylock: I could say that I’m still the goofy kid that I was back in the day. I still watch cartoons every day — I never watch regular TV shows, like reality TV, but I usually watch Cartoon Network or something like that.

Frierson: What are your favorite cartoons?

Blaylock: “Adventure Time” is one of them, that’s a good one, and “The Regular Show” is another one. Those are two good ones.

Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?

Blaylock: If I could be really good at animation, like cartoons, I would love to do that. I’d like to be able to make movies or TV shows like they do. I think that’s a really cool thing.

(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.