University of Georgia Athletics
A Quick Chat With ... Sony Michel
December 16, 2016 | Football
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Georgia junior tailback Sony Michel announced Thursday afternoon that he would be returning for his senior season, as did teammates Nick Chubb, Davin Bellamy and Lorenzo Carter. It was a big moment for Michel and the guys, and a big moment for Bulldogs fans everywhere.
A few minutes later, a relaxed-looking Michel sat down for a quick chat about things mostly unrelated to football. We did one of these last season, which you can read here: 2015 Q&A with Sony Michel.
On Thursday, we talked about gift giving, Christmas songs, his relationship with Chubb and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: We've got the holidays coming up, which means giving and receiving gifts. So what's the best gift you've ever received?
Michel: I would say it would be spending time with my family. I don't get to do that much and I have a small family. My brother was in college so he was always away and we were always on different schedules, so I would say spending time with family. Nothing that's material that I can say was the best gift, but spending time around my family around Christmastime.
Frierson: What's the best gift you've ever given?
Michel: I can't really think of a gift, but what I like is to get a gift for someone and downplay it, so when I give it to the person it's going to be bigger than what I made it seem.
Frierson: What's something from your childhood that you really miss?
Michel: Getting a bike every Christmas. I got bike almost every Christmas — I don't know what happened to my bike, but for some reason I got a bike every Christmas. I don't know, I think it just went missing for some reason.
Frierson: Who is somebody on the team, or any other Georgia athlete, that you've come to really admire?
Michel: Nick Chubb and Coach Smart, just their passion for the game, their drive and their will to compete. Even though Coach Smart's the head coach, he challenged me on the field and off the field. Whether I like it or not, he's always going to be there to challenge me with something, whether it's small or big.
It's the same thing with Nick. He's always with me, on and off the field, and he's going to challenge me to do something.
Frierson: I sat down with Nick about a month ago and he talked about playing with you and how much he's enjoyed sharing this experience. What has it meant to you?
Michel: We probably had similar feelings and great minds think alike, you've heard that a lot, but it's great to share an experience with somebody that's very similar to you. Sometimes something will happen and we'll both see it, most people won't see it, and we'll just look at each other like, we got it.
It's almost like we're always on the same page and having somebody like that next to you, it's kind of great.
Frierson: I know you two live together, so who's the better roommate — whatever way you want to define that?
Michel: He's probably the better roommate. I won't say he's more caring, but he's a caring person. Rooming with a person that cares about others, it's always great.
Frierson: What's the best thing that has entered your life in 2016?
Michel: It's an album, since I like music, I'll go with the new Meek Mill album that came out. He's one of my favorite rappers and I was waiting for his mixed tape, his album to drop and he finally dropped it.
Frierson: Do you like any Christmas music?
Michel: I like some Christmas songs, it's good music to calm your nerves down. Christmas carols will probably be on my playlist before the bowl game. I like to listen to mellow, soft music before the game to kind keep the nerves down and the adrenaline rush not too high, so I like to listen to calm music on the bus.
Frierson: I know you make music, so have you thought about recording a Christmas song?
Michel: [His eyes lit up a bit at that question] Oh, I never thought about that. That's a good idea, I like that. That's a good idea, right there.
Frierson: I'll only take 10 percent of the royalties. ... Who on the team makes you laugh the hardest?
Michel: Probably Isaiah McKenzie. It's him being himself, he's always energized and going, and he's always telling jokes 24/7. He's a great spirit guy and he's always going to keep his spirits high. Some people may like it, but at the end of the day they learn to admire it.
Frierson: Do you have a guilty pleasure, like a movie that you know is pretty terrible but you love it anyway?
Michel: People might think it's cheesy but I love this movie, "Pitch Perfect." I like music and in it they're doing that a cappella stuff, so I'm big on both of them, "Pitch Perfect" one and two.
Frierson: What's the stress relief like once you have the decision to return for your senior year out of the way? I imagine that you've been asked about what you were going to do 1,000 times in the last few weeks.
Michel: It's over with. It's tough when you're in the process of making the decision and you're getting a lot of questions asked and you really don't know. You've just got to say you're in the process of making the decision, and now I get to move forward and focus on playing football and just having fun.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
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.
