University of Georgia Athletics
November 11, 2020 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Nolan Smith is a builder and a creator. The Georgia outside linebacker was pretty much obsessed with Legos when he was young, which led to a passion for engineering. Smith can also create in the kitchen, and while he can cook the turkey for Thanksgiving, don't expect him to eat any of it.
A 6-foot-3, 235-pound sophomore from Savannah, Smith heads into Saturday's game against Missouri with 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and his 12 quarterback pressures rank fourth on the team. During a Quick Chat after practice Tuesday, Smith talked about engineering, good food, his start in football and much more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What do you remember about your very first year playing football? Is there one memory that stands out from those early days?
Smith: I remember my first Oklahoma drill, and when I first hit somebody I said, I love this sport, this is the type of sport I want to be a part of. I was 4, I've been playing football since I was 4 years old.
Frierson: Did you play a bunch of other sports growing up, as well?
Smith: I played basketball and I was a really good baseball player. I played center field and I played second base and catcher. I loved playing baseball, it was my second-favorite sport after football. I probably played baseball all the way up to my sophomore year, before I went to IMG (Academy).
Frierson: When did you know you were good at football? Was there a turning point or specific moment when you realized you had a bright future in it beyond high school?
Smith: I don't know, maybe not until I signed my letter-of-intent, really. All that could be taken away, you could tear your ACL, knock on wood, or anything can happen, so I was just trying to work every day like I never had any offers.
Frierson: I read where you were majoring in Biochemical Engineering, so how did you get interested in that? And can you explain exactly what that is?
Smith: I changed my major just because I had too many labs, but I did it for about a year and a half. Biochemical engineering is for people that work with the body and make medical devices that help, like prosthetic legs and prosthetic arms and stuff like that. It's about engineering and your body mechanics and fluids all working together as one.
I'm now majoring in civil engineering.
Frierson: Obviously engineering is something you're really into, so when did that begin?
Smith: I love building things. I do a lot with my hands. Even my room back home, I ordered the parts and I built the whole room myself.
I used to have one of the greatest Lego collections ever. I used to have 1,000-piece Legos, like rocket ships and spaceships and things that I just pieced and put together myself.
Frierson: Do you still do any of that stuff now just to relax?
Smith: I don't do it now but we do it for projects (in class). I'll build a small-scale Talmadge Bridge in Savannah, and then I'll have to draw it to scale and stuff like that.
Frierson: After football, what do you envision yourself doing?
Smith: I want to open up my own engineering firm. Go somewhere and help the roads; I don't know, be a part of the community, be a small piece and try to take care of something in the world.
Frierson: Speaking of Savannah, when you think of home what comes to mind?
Smith: Good food. I mean Savannah food is some of the best. I'd say Savannah and Atlanta have the best food in Georgia.
Frierson: Is there one dish that comes to mind?
Smith: I love going to Chive and getting the calamari.
Frierson: How are you in the kitchen?
Smith: I'm a really good cook. I grew up with my grandmom and my grandfather, so I do a lot of cooking and a lot of hands-on handyman work.
Frierson: We've got Thanksgiving coming up pretty soon, so what is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
Smith: My favorite dish is ham. I don't eat turkey but I cook all the turkey for my Thanksgiving, and I'll carve it. I'll do a fried turkey and a baked turkey but I don't eat it — I just know how to cook it and carve. I can't even taste it to tell you if it's so good because it's so dry to me.
Frierson: Why don't you eat turkey?
Smith: I don't know, it's dry and nasty [laughs].
Frierson: You've sort of already answered this but I'll ask it anyway, do you have a creative side? Is there anything creative you do or wish you could do?
Smith: I'm probably going to sit down and teach myself how to play the piano sooner or later. I did it when I was a little kid, I was in music, and I played the saxophone a little bit but I never took it very seriously.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Smith: Being a great person, just walking around being happy. That's what I try to do now, but imagine you're seeing a person walking down the street and he's happy and he hasn't got a care in the world. He's one of those genuinely happy people — he's not happy because he's rich or anything, he's just living the good life and he's happy. I'd love to live that life.
Frierson: You strike me as someone that's kind of doing that already.
Smith: I hope, I try, I try to strive every day.
Frierson: Jordan Davis also strikes me as one of those guys.
Smith: Yeah, I love J.D. Me and J.D. have very similar personalities.
Frierson: If you could travel anywhere in the world on somebody else's dime, where would you like to go and who would you take with you?
Smith: I'd go to Spain and I'd probably take my girlfriend, my grandmom and my mom — 100 percent of the special ladies in my life. We'd go out to Spain, and the thing about Spain is, I know a lot about it. They do a lot of fresh markets and they have some of the best food.
Those European countries have some of the best food in the world because they catch it fresh every day and then they sell it the same day at the market, so that's what makes it so special.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Nolan Smith is a builder and a creator. The Georgia outside linebacker was pretty much obsessed with Legos when he was young, which led to a passion for engineering. Smith can also create in the kitchen, and while he can cook the turkey for Thanksgiving, don't expect him to eat any of it.
A 6-foot-3, 235-pound sophomore from Savannah, Smith heads into Saturday's game against Missouri with 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and his 12 quarterback pressures rank fourth on the team. During a Quick Chat after practice Tuesday, Smith talked about engineering, good food, his start in football and much more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What do you remember about your very first year playing football? Is there one memory that stands out from those early days?
Smith: I remember my first Oklahoma drill, and when I first hit somebody I said, I love this sport, this is the type of sport I want to be a part of. I was 4, I've been playing football since I was 4 years old.
Frierson: Did you play a bunch of other sports growing up, as well?
Smith: I played basketball and I was a really good baseball player. I played center field and I played second base and catcher. I loved playing baseball, it was my second-favorite sport after football. I probably played baseball all the way up to my sophomore year, before I went to IMG (Academy).
Frierson: When did you know you were good at football? Was there a turning point or specific moment when you realized you had a bright future in it beyond high school?
Smith: I don't know, maybe not until I signed my letter-of-intent, really. All that could be taken away, you could tear your ACL, knock on wood, or anything can happen, so I was just trying to work every day like I never had any offers.
Frierson: I read where you were majoring in Biochemical Engineering, so how did you get interested in that? And can you explain exactly what that is?
Smith: I changed my major just because I had too many labs, but I did it for about a year and a half. Biochemical engineering is for people that work with the body and make medical devices that help, like prosthetic legs and prosthetic arms and stuff like that. It's about engineering and your body mechanics and fluids all working together as one.
I'm now majoring in civil engineering.
Frierson: Obviously engineering is something you're really into, so when did that begin?
Smith: I love building things. I do a lot with my hands. Even my room back home, I ordered the parts and I built the whole room myself.
I used to have one of the greatest Lego collections ever. I used to have 1,000-piece Legos, like rocket ships and spaceships and things that I just pieced and put together myself.
Frierson: Do you still do any of that stuff now just to relax?
Smith: I don't do it now but we do it for projects (in class). I'll build a small-scale Talmadge Bridge in Savannah, and then I'll have to draw it to scale and stuff like that.
Frierson: After football, what do you envision yourself doing?
Smith: I want to open up my own engineering firm. Go somewhere and help the roads; I don't know, be a part of the community, be a small piece and try to take care of something in the world.
Frierson: Speaking of Savannah, when you think of home what comes to mind?
Smith: Good food. I mean Savannah food is some of the best. I'd say Savannah and Atlanta have the best food in Georgia.
Frierson: Is there one dish that comes to mind?
Smith: I love going to Chive and getting the calamari.
Frierson: How are you in the kitchen?
Smith: I'm a really good cook. I grew up with my grandmom and my grandfather, so I do a lot of cooking and a lot of hands-on handyman work.
Frierson: We've got Thanksgiving coming up pretty soon, so what is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
Smith: My favorite dish is ham. I don't eat turkey but I cook all the turkey for my Thanksgiving, and I'll carve it. I'll do a fried turkey and a baked turkey but I don't eat it — I just know how to cook it and carve. I can't even taste it to tell you if it's so good because it's so dry to me.
Frierson: Why don't you eat turkey?
Smith: I don't know, it's dry and nasty [laughs].
Frierson: You've sort of already answered this but I'll ask it anyway, do you have a creative side? Is there anything creative you do or wish you could do?
Smith: I'm probably going to sit down and teach myself how to play the piano sooner or later. I did it when I was a little kid, I was in music, and I played the saxophone a little bit but I never took it very seriously.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Smith: Being a great person, just walking around being happy. That's what I try to do now, but imagine you're seeing a person walking down the street and he's happy and he hasn't got a care in the world. He's one of those genuinely happy people — he's not happy because he's rich or anything, he's just living the good life and he's happy. I'd love to live that life.
Frierson: You strike me as someone that's kind of doing that already.
Smith: I hope, I try, I try to strive every day.
Frierson: Jordan Davis also strikes me as one of those guys.
Smith: Yeah, I love J.D. Me and J.D. have very similar personalities.
Frierson: If you could travel anywhere in the world on somebody else's dime, where would you like to go and who would you take with you?
Smith: I'd go to Spain and I'd probably take my girlfriend, my grandmom and my mom — 100 percent of the special ladies in my life. We'd go out to Spain, and the thing about Spain is, I know a lot about it. They do a lot of fresh markets and they have some of the best food.
Those European countries have some of the best food in the world because they catch it fresh every day and then they sell it the same day at the market, so that's what makes it so special.
(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.
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