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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The Georgia Bulldogs vs. The Arkansas Razorbacks

Game & Broadcast Info

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The Georgia Bulldogs conducted a two-hour practice Wednesday, Sept. 23, in preparation for the first contest of the season at Southeastern Conference opponent Arkansas, in Fayetteville, Ark.

Georgia travels to Arkansas to face the Razorbacks Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m., ET, on the SEC Network. Before practice, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart participated in the SEC Football Weekly Media Teleconference and provided an update on the Bulldogs. Following practice, Warren Ericson and Jamaree Salyer offered these comments on the contest with Arkansas.

Selected comments from Smart and the student-athletes follow:

Coach Kirby Smart
Opening Statement
“I am looking forward to seeing my dear old friend Sam Pittman. It’s a long time coming. This offseason in terms of our players being excited and the uncertainty involved in this year. I know our guys are certainly extremely excited to go play. I don’t know if we are going to get much better without playing. We need to go play so we can find out where we are. We are excited to go play Arkansas.”

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Below is the full transcript of head coach Kirby Smart‘s comments following practice Tuesday afternoon. Also included below are selected comments from players Nakobe Dean and Eric Stokes.

On Tre’ McKitty’s rehab and whether he will play Saturday against Arkansas…
“He’s doubtful for Saturday. He’s up and running and moving around well. He got on the AlterG and been able to run some. We don’t think he’s going to make it in time for Saturday.”
 
On the direction of the offense under Coach Monken/whether it is influenced by the success of other programs’ and their RPOs (Run-Pass Options)…
“I don’t think that the offenses that are highly success aren’t necessarily RPOs—I would disagree with that… Yeah, it’s built around what we think we can do and be most successful with the players we have. Certainly, [we] study a lot of teams that were successful last year, as we do every year. [We] look [at] what we have similar to other teams that might have something similar to us—meaning if there is an elite receiver or an elite tight end or maybe [defensive] backs or a really good, featured quarterback. Whatever it is that we think we can simulate with the players we have that teams have been successful with. You have to be careful when you talk about that because our league is very different than many others. The outlier for me would be obviously LSU last year, being what they did. You can see on every Sunday what they had, and what they were capable of with the ammunition they had. Everybody tries to copycat to an extent, and do what people do well. We have to build that around what we have and what we are capable of doing with what we have.”

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The Georgia Bulldogs vs. The Arkansas Razorbacks

Game & Broadcast Info

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University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart and several Bulldog student-athletes offered the following comments on Monday.

Head Coach Kirby Smart

Opening statement … 

“It’s game week. I am excited to have game week, that is for sure. It has been a long time coming and there has been a lot of things that have happened and transpired since we were on the field last for a competitive game. I know our guys are excited. We saw a lot of excitement out Saturday and Friday when we started to work on our Arkansas prep. Our players are excited, I am excited, our coaches are excited. There are a lot of new faces that are going to get their first opportunity to compete at the SEC level. We are excited to do that, going against a very good friend of mine in Coach Sam Pittman, who did just an unbelievable job while he was here. He and his wife, Jamie, meant so much to the community here in Athens and for so many of our kids. He helped build the foundation of what we have now. I am extremely happy for him for this opportunity he has gotten. I know he always had a special place in his heart for Arkansas, and he got this opportunity to go back.

“He’s got two really good coordinators on his staff. I know Barry [Odom] obviously from the SEC meetings and the SEC experience, him being in the SEC East. Barry is a good friend and a really good football coach. He did a great job at Missouri. His defense has always created a lot of problems. Then, obviously, Coach [Kendal] Briles is a really good football coach, and you have seen what he’s been able to do historically with offensives in terms of numbers. He does a great job. He presents a lot of problems and issues because the pace at which they play and a quarterback that we all know. They have multiple guys that can play. It’s a little bit, for us, a guessing game who we will get to see at their quarterback position. With that, I’ll open it up.”

On the status of QB JT Daniels … 

“We hope JT will be cleared by Saturday, officially.”

On the quarterback situation … 

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