University of Georgia Athletics
Godwin Enjoying The Ride
July 17, 2018 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
ATLANTA — Seated on a small stage in the big media room at the College Football Hall of Fame, with dozens and dozens of reporters all around and the names of the greatest to ever play the game on display on the floors above, Terry Godwin looked quite at home.
The senior receiver, looking sharp in a light blue suit and pink bow-tie for the Bulldogs' appearance at SEC Media Days, was both fairly close to his actual home yet at the same time a world away. The Bulldogs' top returning pass catcher acknowledged that where he was Tuesday morning was a long way from Hogansville, a town of a little more than 3,000 people located about 55 miles southwest of Atlanta.
"It's crazy, because it's just a small town," said Godwin, who was joined by coach Kirby Smart, defensive back J.R. Reed and defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter at the media extravaganza.
Hogansville's Wikipedia page isn't empty, but you can read the whole thing in about the time it took quarterback Jake Fromm to hit Godwin for a 59-yard touchdown on Georgia's first play against Mississippi State last season. The opening paragraph mentions that it's in Troup County, that the population in the 2010 census was 3,060 and that since 1998 the Hogansville Hummingbird Festival has been held each fall.
In the "Notable People" section, Godwin is not mentioned (Where's the oversight department?). Of the seven that are, the only one you've probably heard of is former NBA player and coach Gar Heard, who had a 15-year playing career and went 23-74 as a head coach.
Because Godwin is an avid pool (billiards) enthusiast, as he told me last August during this delightful Quick Chat, I couldn't help but notice that another notable person from Hogansville was former billiards champion "Cowboy" Jimmy Moore.
Was Moore a local legend? Were stories about him the genesis for Godwin's sincere enthusiasm for the game?
"Actually, I haven't heard of him until just now," said Godwin, again unleashing that 1,000-kilowatt smile that is so often on his face. "I'll try to hit him up or something like that, to try to learn a couple of tips from him to beat the guys in the locker room."
Unfortunately, Moore died almost 20 years ago. But surely there's something else Godwin can do to become notable enough.
"I don't know, I guess I have to make some type of YouTube channel or something like that," he joked.
Or he can just keep being the player he's been since he got to Georgia, or when Smart first saw him years before.
"Terry Godwin is a kid I've known since the ninth grade," Smart said in his opening remarks. "I have watched him practice every year, or play in baseball games, since his ninth year in Hogansville, Ga. ... He is just a bright-eyed guy that loves to practice every day."
As a freshman, Godwin caught 35 passes, second on the team, and earned TaxSlayer Bowl MVP honors thanks to his four catches, including a 17-yarder for a touchdown, and also his 44-yard touchdown pass.
During his second season he was again the second-leading receiver, this time catching 38. The speedy and lean 5-foot-11 Godwin caught the same number of passes last season, again second on the team, but the impact of those grabs was much greater.
In a stellar junior season, Godwin caught 38 passes for 639 yards and six touchdowns — most notably the still-hard-to-believe one-handed grab in the back of the end zone at Notre Dame, a catch that will be replayed and likely produce goose bumps for Bulldogs fans for as long as there is Georgia football.
"It gets brought up a lot. ... To be honest, it's all around campus or even when I go back to my hometown, they're still talking about it," Godwin said. "But to me ... it's like an ordinary catch to me."
There was nothing ordinary about that catch — nothing — but Godwin isn't a guy that gets caught up in the past. He won't celebrate his successes too much, like that catch which he's largely downplayed since it happened, or the not-so-good times, like the last time the Bulldogs were in Atlanta.
Godwin, like his teammates Reed and Ledbetter, was asked a lot of questions about the loss to Alabama in the National Championship Game. He politely answered all of them, for sure giving an honest response when asked if he got tired of being asked about the game.
"Yeah," he said, laughing.
Another questions thrown his way: What did he make of freshman quarterback Justin Fields?
"He's a lot faster than I thought," Godwin said.
One more: Which Bulldog would do the best on "The Bachelorette" reality show?
"I can see J.R. Reed being on there; just for him being the type of guy he is and the character he has, I can see him being on there," Godwin said. "I think he'll do real good. He has a great personality and he's a charmer — a lot of people don't know, he's a charmer."
Reed is a charmer, but so is Godwin.
"Terry just brings a lot of light to the table," Reed said. "He's always smiling and you can't do nothing but smile when you're around Terry."
Godwin said it's "kind of shocking" that his final collegiate season will soon begin. He knows he's matured a great deal, in every way, but the time has flown by.
"To be honest, I kind of blinked and woke up to my senior year," he said. "It still feels like I just got to Georgia, but it's been amazing — it's been one great ride."
Luckily for him and for us, it's a ride that's far from finished.
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.
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