October 06, 2022 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Tykee Smith is a proud native of Philadelphia, itself a proud city. The Georgia defensive back is enjoying seeing the Eagles as the NFL's last undefeated team, and he's very excited to see what the 76ers can do this season.
Starting at the STAR position last week at Missouri, Smith, a 5-foot-10 junior who began his collegiate career at West Virginia, helped the No. 2 Bulldogs remain unbeaten with several key plays in the secondary during Georgia's 26-22 win. He finished with three tackles and a pass defended.
Back in high school, at Imhotep Charter, Smith was, as you would expect, a playmaker on defense. But he also ran the ball 60 times for 502 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior — that's 8.4 yards per carry. During a Quick Chat after practice Tuesday, Smith talked about playing on offense, cheering on his Philly teams, offering advice to new Eagles Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean, and much more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: It's October, which means Halloween isn't too far away, so what is your favorite Halloween candy?
Smith: I don't really celebrate Halloween, being a Muslim.
Frierson: What is your favorite candy overall?
Smith: I'm a big fan of fruit snacks, like Welch's. That's kind of what I go to — that or Twizzlers.
Frierson: Being from Philly, were the Eagles always your No. 1 team?
Smith: Yeah, definitely, then that year they won the Super Bowl (LII, after the 2017 season), and it was a blessing for the city to finally get that opportunity and that experience. And not having school for a little while was a good time.
Frierson: Last year, the Bulldogs win a national championship, and a few years before that, the Eagles win it. How different were those feelings for you?
Smith: The feelings are definitely different because one of them, you're part of it, you're one of them, and the other, you're just supporting the team. I was glad to be a part of that team and for us to have the opportunity to win it all and bring it back to Athens.
Frierson: What is it like watching a couple of your buddies, Jordan and Nakobe, get drafted by the Eagles?
Smith: It was really exciting to get to see those guys get picked. That's a life-changing thing for them right there.
Frierson: Did they reach out to you for information on maybe where they should live or some restaurants they should try?
Smith: Yeah, Nakobe and J.D. definitely hit me up about that.
Frierson: I looked at your bio and saw that as a senior in high school you ran for about 500 yards and averaged around 8 yards a carry. Did you ever try to pursue being a running back or offensive player at the collegiate level?
Smith: No, it was strictly defense at this level. In high school, I just did whatever I could to help my team win.
Frierson: But it had to have been a lot of fun running all over defenses like that.
Smith: It was definitely fun, helping my team the best way I could. That was me running the wildcat, me lining up at receiver — just getting involved here and there and trying to help my team.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from school and football?
Smith: Any time I have some free time, I FaceTime my daughter as much as possible. I also play (video games) here and that, and I'll watch film sometimes at home. The main thing is to make sure I talk to my daughter as much as I can.
Frierson: What video games are you playing?
Smith: I'm playing Madden (NFL), (NBA) 2K, and I'll play Call of Duty here and there. That's about it. I'll play with some guys back home and with some of the guys here.
Frierson: The 76ers season is about to start, so do you have high expectations for them this season?
Smith: I definitely have high expectations for them every year. I think they're going to be good.
Frierson: Did you ever play basketball?
Smith: I played growing up, but my high school had one of the top teams in the country so I wasn't playing on that basketball team [laughs].
Frierson: Did you ever dunk?
Smith: I dunked once or twice. It had to be a good day [laughs]. Sometimes I'd get rim blocked and sometimes I might flay it. It depends on if I got a good jump or not.
Frierson: What is the best play you ever made on a football field?
Smith: My junior year (of high school), one of my teammates got into some trouble and I had to learn the running back plays pregame. And then I wound up running for five or six touchdowns and 250-plus on the ground. That was one of the best moments and unreal things I've ever done.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Tykee Smith is a proud native of Philadelphia, itself a proud city. The Georgia defensive back is enjoying seeing the Eagles as the NFL's last undefeated team, and he's very excited to see what the 76ers can do this season.
Starting at the STAR position last week at Missouri, Smith, a 5-foot-10 junior who began his collegiate career at West Virginia, helped the No. 2 Bulldogs remain unbeaten with several key plays in the secondary during Georgia's 26-22 win. He finished with three tackles and a pass defended.
Back in high school, at Imhotep Charter, Smith was, as you would expect, a playmaker on defense. But he also ran the ball 60 times for 502 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior — that's 8.4 yards per carry. During a Quick Chat after practice Tuesday, Smith talked about playing on offense, cheering on his Philly teams, offering advice to new Eagles Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean, and much more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: It's October, which means Halloween isn't too far away, so what is your favorite Halloween candy?
Smith: I don't really celebrate Halloween, being a Muslim.
Frierson: What is your favorite candy overall?
Smith: I'm a big fan of fruit snacks, like Welch's. That's kind of what I go to — that or Twizzlers.
Frierson: Being from Philly, were the Eagles always your No. 1 team?
Smith: Yeah, definitely, then that year they won the Super Bowl (LII, after the 2017 season), and it was a blessing for the city to finally get that opportunity and that experience. And not having school for a little while was a good time.
Frierson: Last year, the Bulldogs win a national championship, and a few years before that, the Eagles win it. How different were those feelings for you?
Smith: The feelings are definitely different because one of them, you're part of it, you're one of them, and the other, you're just supporting the team. I was glad to be a part of that team and for us to have the opportunity to win it all and bring it back to Athens.
Frierson: What is it like watching a couple of your buddies, Jordan and Nakobe, get drafted by the Eagles?
Smith: It was really exciting to get to see those guys get picked. That's a life-changing thing for them right there.
Frierson: Did they reach out to you for information on maybe where they should live or some restaurants they should try?
Smith: Yeah, Nakobe and J.D. definitely hit me up about that.
Frierson: I looked at your bio and saw that as a senior in high school you ran for about 500 yards and averaged around 8 yards a carry. Did you ever try to pursue being a running back or offensive player at the collegiate level?
Smith: No, it was strictly defense at this level. In high school, I just did whatever I could to help my team win.
Frierson: But it had to have been a lot of fun running all over defenses like that.
Smith: It was definitely fun, helping my team the best way I could. That was me running the wildcat, me lining up at receiver — just getting involved here and there and trying to help my team.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from school and football?
Smith: Any time I have some free time, I FaceTime my daughter as much as possible. I also play (video games) here and that, and I'll watch film sometimes at home. The main thing is to make sure I talk to my daughter as much as I can.
Frierson: What video games are you playing?
Smith: I'm playing Madden (NFL), (NBA) 2K, and I'll play Call of Duty here and there. That's about it. I'll play with some guys back home and with some of the guys here.
Frierson: The 76ers season is about to start, so do you have high expectations for them this season?
Smith: I definitely have high expectations for them every year. I think they're going to be good.
Frierson: Did you ever play basketball?
Smith: I played growing up, but my high school had one of the top teams in the country so I wasn't playing on that basketball team [laughs].
Frierson: Did you ever dunk?
Smith: I dunked once or twice. It had to be a good day [laughs]. Sometimes I'd get rim blocked and sometimes I might flay it. It depends on if I got a good jump or not.
Frierson: What is the best play you ever made on a football field?
Smith: My junior year (of high school), one of my teammates got into some trouble and I had to learn the running back plays pregame. And then I wound up running for five or six touchdowns and 250-plus on the ground. That was one of the best moments and unreal things I've ever done.
(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.
Players Mentioned
Tuesday, November 03
Tuesday, November 03
Monday, November 02
Monday, November 02