UGA Football: Frierson Chats With Salyer

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

Jamaree Salyer, astronaut. That has a nice ring to it.

The 6-foot-4 and 325-pound Georgia offensive lineman said during a Quick Chat after practice Wednesday that he would love to go into space for a day, “just to see what’s out there.”

During our Chat, Salyer, a junior from Atlanta, also talked about opening the season Saturday at Arkansas, and facing former Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman, now the Razorbacks’ head coach. Other topics included video games and being a veteran on a Bulldog offense with a lot of new pieces this season.

Here’s some of what he had to say:

Frierson: To be this close to finally playing a game again, are you about as excited as you’ve ever been for a football game?

Salyer: Yeah, it’s really exciting. You know, the butterflies are there and you’ve got that first-game feeling, to get out there in a new environment, really. It’s really cool, I’ve never been to Arkansas before, never been to Fayetteville, so it’s going to be exciting.

Of course, this game has extra meaning for the offensive lineman, and it’s going to be fun.

Frierson: What’s it going to be like to see Coach Pittman again, only this time he’s the head coach of the other team?

Salyer: He poured a lot into me while I was here, I was one of the Sam Pittman guys, and I really enjoyed my time with him here. He was great to me, treated me with respect, pushed me hard and I got a lot better under his wing. I’m excited to compete against him — it’s kind of crazy.

Frierson: What do you think of the 1980-themed uniforms you’re going to be wearing on Saturday?

Salyer: It will be pretty cool to be able to go out there in something new. We wear the red (jerseys) and silver britches every home game and we wear the white and silver britches every away game, so it’s nice for a little changeup and it’s nice to be able to commemorate the 1980 team. They did something really special, one of the only teams to do it, so it’s nice to start a season off that way, commemorating a great team.

Frierson: Do you normally pay much attention to uniforms or is that more of a thing that fans care a lot more about than players typically do?

Salyer: Not really, I don’t really care how they look I just want them to fit good so that I can go do what I’ve got to do.

Frierson: You’re now one of the veteran guys on this offense, an offense that has a new coordinator, a new quarterback, new lineman, new lead running backs — do you feel like an old man around all these new people in prominent positions?

Salyer: It’s different, but I wouldn’t necessarily say I feel like the old man because we’ve got some fifth-year guys and we’ve got some other old guys on this team. I feel like I’ve kind of turned the tide, I’m not a young guy anymore, I’m a veteran, an older guy that people look up to. I’ve had to step into that leadership role this year and I’m really excited for it.

The guys look up to me because I’m a guy that’s going to do the right thing, and I’m excited to be that guy that people can come to and ask for advice, and just coach the younger guys up and show them how we play football.

Frierson: Does that come naturally to you, being a vocal leader?

Salyer: I was kind of the leadership guy even from a young age. From my sophomore year in high school I always kind of had that leadership role and I think it does come naturally to me. It’s hard sometimes, and in college the stakes are higher, and this year they’re higher than ever before with guys going in and out and just having younger guys ready to play, and the leadership role on this team and any college team is bigger because the stakes are really high.

I just try to make sure I do the right thing and encourage the young guys to wear their masks and social distance and just be a good role model on and off the field.

Frierson: When I talked to Eric Stokes yesterday, he talked about learning how to swim during the quarantine. Did you learn how to do anything new or pick up any hobbies or new interests during the spring and summer when you weren’t as busy as you’d normally be?

Salyer: I didn’t really pick up any new hobbies, but I’m a big video game guy so I played video games mostly during quarantine. I just tried to stay to myself, really; I actually stayed in Athens for most of the quarantine, I went home once or twice, but I stayed here and stayed inside playing video games when I wasn’t working out.

It was pretty simple: work out, play video games, eat, sleep. It was great for the small stint that it lasted.

Frierson: Was there one video game that you took a really deep dive into?

Salyer: I played a lot of Call of Duty: Warzone. It’s still pretty hot now, the new one, and I just played a lot of Call of Duty. I was just trying to get good at it, and I’m still working on it. I’m pretty persistent, I still wouldn’t say I’m great at it, but I’ve probably won it three times out of all this time playing it.

I don’t have the time now to just sit down and play the game like people do. Some people are really elite at the game, but I’m all right. I just go play for fun — my and my roommates will sit around and play just to pass the time after practice or something.

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

Salyer: I’d be an astronaut, honestly, just to be able to see what’s out there. A lot of people talk about what’s out there, and some people have their conspiracy theories, but I really want to see what’s up there. I’d love to be a man on the space shuttle and take my crew up there, just to go see what’s really out there.

Everybody has their different theories, that we live in a simulation, that nobody went to the moon, and I really want to see what’s up there. If I could just go for a day and then come back, I would definitely do that.

Frierson: Are you a guy that questions things like whether we’ve landed on the moon? Do you pay attention to the conspiracy theories that are out there?

Salyer: I’d rather just see it for myself. I try not to make too much of anything. I want to see it for myself. I trust what science says, I trust what history says, so I’m not too much of a conspiracy theorist unless it makes too much sense and then I’ll give it some thought. Other than that, I’d rather see it for myself.

Frierson: How are you in the kitchen? Have you learned to cook pretty well?

Salyer: I can get by, my mom didn’t send me off to college not knowing how to fend for myself. I can get by, probably not with the healthiest of things. If I had to survive for a long time, I could make a meal as long as I had the money to go to the grocery store.

Frierson: If you were inviting some friends over, what would you make them? Do you have something you’re best at?

Salyer: Shoot, this weekend me and my girlfriend just experimented with some Rotel dip, and it was pretty good. I feel like if I had friends over I would make some of that.

(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.