University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Warren McClendon
November 02, 2022 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
When Warren McClendon has the time, which understandably isn't often during the school year, he thoroughly enjoys heading out to the golf course. The case on his cell phone even features the Georgia "G" over a pair of crossed golf clubs.
But the 6-foot-4 and 300-pound redshirt sophomore from Brunswick, Ga., won't be heading to the course or driving range this week, not with a huge Top-3 matchup with fellow unbeaten Tennessee happening Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
"It's probably bad right now," McClendon said of the state of his game.
McClendon is in his third season as the Bulldogs' starting right tackle and was voted preseason first-team All-SEC. McClendon is a notable name in the history of Georgia football: Willie McClendon, his uncle, was a star running back in the late 1970s, while Bryan McClendon, his cousin, is in his second stint on the coaching staff, currently serving as the pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach.
During a Quick Chat on Monday, McClendon talked about how he tries to block out any distractions, learning the language of football, competing with his dad on the golf course, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: How do you go about keeping this week as just another week?
McClendon: Just blocking out all the outside noises, and just locking in on ourselves and keeping focused on the things that we need to do to best prepare ourselves for this week.
Frierson: The language of football is something that I find pretty fascinating, mainly because as an outsider it might as well be Greek or something. How hard is it to learn the language of football?
McClendon: It's just something that you have to get in to learn. My freshman year, when I got here, I didn't know what was going on. They were saying words that I was like, "What are you talking about?" They were saying things that I'd never heard, and I thought I knew a lot about football. You're always learning something new and learning something from somebody that has more experience and has been here before.
You're always learning something new, but it was difficult at the beginning. Once you catch on to it, it's pretty easy.
Frierson: Given that you've been here a long time now, do you enjoy your role as a team leader and a veteran that can help show the younger guys what to do?
McClendon: Oh, yeah, being one of the older guys on the team, you're always looked to to help somebody, to bring somebody along with you. Any time I have the time to stop and talk with some of the younger guys, help them out, I always do.
Frierson: How much better at practicing are you now compared to when you first got here? Just how different is it from what you experienced in high school?
McClendon: Oh, it's very different. Everything is moving pretty fast and you're getting a lot of reps and stuff like that. Back in high school, you probably wouldn't get the same amount of reps as you do now. Just being able to learn and see all of the older guys when you get here, and see how they practice, you try to just duplicate what they're doing.
Frierson: I notice you have the Georgia golf logo on your phone case, and you and I have talked a good bit about golf before during our previous Quick Chats, so how is your golf game right now?
McClendon: It's probably bad right now. I haven't played since probably before the start of the season. Hopefully I'll be able to get back out there soon.
Frierson: I remember you telling me last time about playing your dad and how he beat you by a stroke on the final hole to win the match. Are you winning some of those matchups with your dad when you all played most recently?
McClendon: The last time we played, right before the season started, I was winning, actually. I was up a couple of strokes on him, and then is started raining, so we had to get a rain check, and we've never gotten a chance to finish. I said I would have won, but he said we have to finish the match for me to say that I beat him.
Frierson: What else do you do to get away from football and school?
McClendon: I like to go bowling sometimes or maybe just play a video game or something like that. I'll watch TV sometimes, just anything to get away from things.
Frierson: As a guy your size, when you see what Darnell Washington and Brock Bowers are doing as tight ends — they're not quite your size but they're pretty darn big — what is your reaction?
McClendon: I'm shocked every time. Every time I see them do something, I'm like, that's it, they can't do anything better than that — and then they keep proving us wrong. They keep doing these amazing things, whether it's a one-handed catch or whatever. They keep shocking all of us.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
When Warren McClendon has the time, which understandably isn't often during the school year, he thoroughly enjoys heading out to the golf course. The case on his cell phone even features the Georgia "G" over a pair of crossed golf clubs.
But the 6-foot-4 and 300-pound redshirt sophomore from Brunswick, Ga., won't be heading to the course or driving range this week, not with a huge Top-3 matchup with fellow unbeaten Tennessee happening Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
"It's probably bad right now," McClendon said of the state of his game.
McClendon is in his third season as the Bulldogs' starting right tackle and was voted preseason first-team All-SEC. McClendon is a notable name in the history of Georgia football: Willie McClendon, his uncle, was a star running back in the late 1970s, while Bryan McClendon, his cousin, is in his second stint on the coaching staff, currently serving as the pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach.
During a Quick Chat on Monday, McClendon talked about how he tries to block out any distractions, learning the language of football, competing with his dad on the golf course, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: How do you go about keeping this week as just another week?
McClendon: Just blocking out all the outside noises, and just locking in on ourselves and keeping focused on the things that we need to do to best prepare ourselves for this week.
Frierson: The language of football is something that I find pretty fascinating, mainly because as an outsider it might as well be Greek or something. How hard is it to learn the language of football?
McClendon: It's just something that you have to get in to learn. My freshman year, when I got here, I didn't know what was going on. They were saying words that I was like, "What are you talking about?" They were saying things that I'd never heard, and I thought I knew a lot about football. You're always learning something new and learning something from somebody that has more experience and has been here before.
You're always learning something new, but it was difficult at the beginning. Once you catch on to it, it's pretty easy.
Frierson: Given that you've been here a long time now, do you enjoy your role as a team leader and a veteran that can help show the younger guys what to do?
McClendon: Oh, yeah, being one of the older guys on the team, you're always looked to to help somebody, to bring somebody along with you. Any time I have the time to stop and talk with some of the younger guys, help them out, I always do.
Frierson: How much better at practicing are you now compared to when you first got here? Just how different is it from what you experienced in high school?
McClendon: Oh, it's very different. Everything is moving pretty fast and you're getting a lot of reps and stuff like that. Back in high school, you probably wouldn't get the same amount of reps as you do now. Just being able to learn and see all of the older guys when you get here, and see how they practice, you try to just duplicate what they're doing.
Frierson: I notice you have the Georgia golf logo on your phone case, and you and I have talked a good bit about golf before during our previous Quick Chats, so how is your golf game right now?
McClendon: It's probably bad right now. I haven't played since probably before the start of the season. Hopefully I'll be able to get back out there soon.
Frierson: I remember you telling me last time about playing your dad and how he beat you by a stroke on the final hole to win the match. Are you winning some of those matchups with your dad when you all played most recently?
McClendon: The last time we played, right before the season started, I was winning, actually. I was up a couple of strokes on him, and then is started raining, so we had to get a rain check, and we've never gotten a chance to finish. I said I would have won, but he said we have to finish the match for me to say that I beat him.
Frierson: What else do you do to get away from football and school?
McClendon: I like to go bowling sometimes or maybe just play a video game or something like that. I'll watch TV sometimes, just anything to get away from things.
Frierson: As a guy your size, when you see what Darnell Washington and Brock Bowers are doing as tight ends — they're not quite your size but they're pretty darn big — what is your reaction?
McClendon: I'm shocked every time. Every time I see them do something, I'm like, that's it, they can't do anything better than that — and then they keep proving us wrong. They keep doing these amazing things, whether it's a one-handed catch or whatever. They keep shocking all of us.
(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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