University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Warren McClendon
December 03, 2020 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Warren McClendon has deep Georgia football roots. The redshirt freshman right tackle is the nephew of Willie McClendon, the great tailback from 1976-78, and he's the cousin of former Georgia receiver and later assistant coach Bryan McClendon, now at Oregon.
At 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, McClendon, from Brunswick, Ga., doesn't have the body to play receiver or running back — he went from quarterback to lineman when he was young —but as he's shown this season, starting the past seven games, he can get the job done at right tackle.
During a Quick Chat after practice Wednesday, McClendon talked about his Georgia roots, getting big and moving from QB to the line, golf, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:Â
Frierson: Obviously you're trying to forge your own path, but how much does it mean to you to continue the McClendon tradition at Georgia?
McClendon: It's a big deal — to my family it's a huge deal. It's not as big to me as it is to them just because I didn't get to see my uncle and my cousin play. They're just happy for me to be here and they just love that I'm here.
Frierson: Your uncle was a running back and your cousin was a wide receiver, so when did you know that those positions weren't for you and that being a very good lineman was in your future?
McClendon: It was probably fifth grade when I started gaining a bunch of weight, so I went from quarterback to offensive line [laughs].
Frierson: What is that transition like? Was it disappointing because quarterback is the most high-profile position or did you realize that the offensive line was the best spot for you?
McClendon: I knew that was the best spot for me. I was just a little kid out there having fun.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
McClendon: Steak, definitely steak. I'll have it with a loaded baked potato with cheese, bacon, and sour cream.
Frierson: How are you in the kitchen? Can you cook?
McClendon: I can cook a little bit. I can cook a steak
Frierson: When you were home over quarantine, did you do much cooking then? Did you get better in the kitchen during that time?
McClendon: My mom, she took care of the cooking. When I'm home, she cooks, she doesn't want me in the kitchen. She says I'll mess it up.
Frierson: Do you have a favorite dish that she makes?
McClendon: It's probably a steak, but she also makes a good chicken alfredo. And sometimes she'll do this roast that's really good, I love that.
Frierson: What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?
McClendon: That was probably my golf club set, my little plastic golf club set.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
McClendon: That's hard because we've got a bunch of funny people. I think Ben Cleveland's pretty funny. I talk to him every day and he's pretty funny.
Frierson: What is it like playing next to Ben, a guy that's been here for so long and has so much experience? How much has he helped you become the player you are today?
McClendon: It's definitely good having a veteran player playing next to me. He's seen and played a lot of football, so he definitely helps me out when we're on the field. If I don't understand something, he'll help explain it to me.
Frierson: When did you know you were good? Was there a turning point or a specific moment?
McClendon: It was probably my freshman year of high school, that's when I started getting big-time offers.Â
Frierson: Was it like to go through that at such a young age?
McClendon: It was a good experience. Freshman and sophomore year were good, and then junior year it just got to the point where I was doing interviews every day and had coaches talking to me — it just got to the point where it was getting stressful. That was when I went ahead and committed to Georgia.
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?
McClendon: I've always wanted to go to Dubai. I'd go to Dubai and I'd take my family, my parents and my sister. Dubai seems like a nice place to go and I've always wanted to go there since I was a little kid.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
McClendon: I would want to be great at golf, because me and my dad play golf all the time when I'm home and he beats me every time, and it just makes me mad. I started playing around eighth or ninth grade, and at that age I just tried to kill the ball and I'd end up slicing it and end up in the woods.
(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.
