University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Tony Walsh/UGAAA
Quick Chat: Kamari Lassiter
November 22, 2022 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Kentucky's offense might have learned a lesson during last Saturday's game against No. 1 Georgia: don't throw screens to Kamari Lassiter's side of the field. Twice the Wildcats threw screens behind the line of scrimmage to his side, and twice the Bulldogs' sophomore cornerback made solo tackles for loss.
Lassiter, from Savannah, Ga., has 27 tackles this season (sixth on the team) heading into the Bulldogs' regular-season finale Saturday against Georgia Tech. And with Kelee Ringo on one side and Lassiter on the other, Georgia's play at the corners has been excellent for much of the season.
During a recent Quick Chat, Lassiter talked about his start in football at a very young age, wondering what might have been in baseball, Thanksgiving, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: How did you first get started in football? Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were young?
Lassiter: I started playing football when I was 3, I started out playing flag football, and then when I was 4, I was playing with the 6-year-olds. I've been playing ever since.
Football has always been my favorite sport. I played a couple of other sports: I played basketball, I ran track, I dabbled in baseball, but there's nothing really like football.
Frierson: Other than football, which you're obviously very good at, what was your best sport?
Lassiter: I was pretty good at basketball and I played baseball my senior year. I actually turned out to be pretty good at baseball. That was my first time every playing, so I think if I would have started playing baseball when I was younger, I might have been better at baseball than I am at football.
Frierson: What is it about football? It's maybe the most team-oriented sport, but it's also very physical and can test your athleticism in so many different ways.
Lassiter: For me, football is about the team. Some of the best relationships that I've built, friendship-wise, have come from football. It's the ultimate competitive sport, in my opinion, and to be in my position now, I'm most of the time in one-on-one.
It's done a lot for me. Football has brought me to a place like Georgia, the No. 1 place in the country. It's something that I really don't know how to replace.
Frierson: Is your position now the hardest position in all of sports? Teams pass the ball so much more than they used to, you're constantly in one-on-one battles, and it seems like what is pass interference varies from game to game.
Lassiter: I would definitely say corner and (defensive back) in general are the hardest positions, probably outside of quarterback. In my opinion, you have to be a great athlete to run backwards and track somebody, and stop somebody from catching the ball. They know where exactly they're going and you don't.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Lassiter: Oh, man. There are a lot of funny guys on the team. You've got guys like Nolan (Smith), Javon Bullard, J.B.; you've got some guys like Trez (Trezmen Marshall), Chris (Smith), Pop (Jamon Dumas-Johnson), Rian Davis — the list goes on. And I probably forgot a lot of guys, too.
Frierson: You guys take what you do so seriously, but there also seems to be a lot of really funny guys around. Do you have to have that to kind of balance things out?
Lassiter: Oh, definitely it's needed. Nobody wants to be around a stickler all the time. You've got to be able to let loose, and at the end of the day, we're all human. We need to let loose, so having that humor and being able to connect with the guys on a level outside of football, it's needed.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from football and school?
Lassiter: Once I get back to the crib, if I don't have any schoolwork, I'm going to get on the game (video game system), talk with the guys and play the game with them. That's how we connect outside (of team activities), when we're not with each other.
Frierson: What is the game right now? I know there's a new Call of Duty out.
Lassiter: That new Duty, everybody's playing that, yes, sir.
Frierson: We've got Thanksgiving coming up, so do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dish or family tradition?
Lassiter: My family, I can't remember a Thanksgiving where I didn't have the family all together. My favorite dish is turkey wings, rice, gravy, mac and cheese, collard greens, some cornbread — that's my dish right there.
Frierson: Do you ever contribute to any of that? Are you helping out in the kitchen?
Lassiter: Oh, no. I just show up and eat. I don't touch a foot in that kitchen, My family, my grandmom and my mom and all my aunts, they're all cooking and you don't touch the kitchen until it's time to eat.
Frierson: Do you at least go help clean up afterwards?
Lassiter: I'm too full at that point [laughs].
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Â
Staff Writer
Kentucky's offense might have learned a lesson during last Saturday's game against No. 1 Georgia: don't throw screens to Kamari Lassiter's side of the field. Twice the Wildcats threw screens behind the line of scrimmage to his side, and twice the Bulldogs' sophomore cornerback made solo tackles for loss.
Lassiter, from Savannah, Ga., has 27 tackles this season (sixth on the team) heading into the Bulldogs' regular-season finale Saturday against Georgia Tech. And with Kelee Ringo on one side and Lassiter on the other, Georgia's play at the corners has been excellent for much of the season.
During a recent Quick Chat, Lassiter talked about his start in football at a very young age, wondering what might have been in baseball, Thanksgiving, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: How did you first get started in football? Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were young?
Lassiter: I started playing football when I was 3, I started out playing flag football, and then when I was 4, I was playing with the 6-year-olds. I've been playing ever since.
Football has always been my favorite sport. I played a couple of other sports: I played basketball, I ran track, I dabbled in baseball, but there's nothing really like football.
Frierson: Other than football, which you're obviously very good at, what was your best sport?
Lassiter: I was pretty good at basketball and I played baseball my senior year. I actually turned out to be pretty good at baseball. That was my first time every playing, so I think if I would have started playing baseball when I was younger, I might have been better at baseball than I am at football.
Frierson: What is it about football? It's maybe the most team-oriented sport, but it's also very physical and can test your athleticism in so many different ways.
Lassiter: For me, football is about the team. Some of the best relationships that I've built, friendship-wise, have come from football. It's the ultimate competitive sport, in my opinion, and to be in my position now, I'm most of the time in one-on-one.
It's done a lot for me. Football has brought me to a place like Georgia, the No. 1 place in the country. It's something that I really don't know how to replace.
Frierson: Is your position now the hardest position in all of sports? Teams pass the ball so much more than they used to, you're constantly in one-on-one battles, and it seems like what is pass interference varies from game to game.
Lassiter: I would definitely say corner and (defensive back) in general are the hardest positions, probably outside of quarterback. In my opinion, you have to be a great athlete to run backwards and track somebody, and stop somebody from catching the ball. They know where exactly they're going and you don't.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Lassiter: Oh, man. There are a lot of funny guys on the team. You've got guys like Nolan (Smith), Javon Bullard, J.B.; you've got some guys like Trez (Trezmen Marshall), Chris (Smith), Pop (Jamon Dumas-Johnson), Rian Davis — the list goes on. And I probably forgot a lot of guys, too.
Frierson: You guys take what you do so seriously, but there also seems to be a lot of really funny guys around. Do you have to have that to kind of balance things out?
Lassiter: Oh, definitely it's needed. Nobody wants to be around a stickler all the time. You've got to be able to let loose, and at the end of the day, we're all human. We need to let loose, so having that humor and being able to connect with the guys on a level outside of football, it's needed.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from football and school?
Lassiter: Once I get back to the crib, if I don't have any schoolwork, I'm going to get on the game (video game system), talk with the guys and play the game with them. That's how we connect outside (of team activities), when we're not with each other.
Frierson: What is the game right now? I know there's a new Call of Duty out.
Lassiter: That new Duty, everybody's playing that, yes, sir.
Frierson: We've got Thanksgiving coming up, so do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dish or family tradition?
Lassiter: My family, I can't remember a Thanksgiving where I didn't have the family all together. My favorite dish is turkey wings, rice, gravy, mac and cheese, collard greens, some cornbread — that's my dish right there.
Frierson: Do you ever contribute to any of that? Are you helping out in the kitchen?
Lassiter: Oh, no. I just show up and eat. I don't touch a foot in that kitchen, My family, my grandmom and my mom and all my aunts, they're all cooking and you don't touch the kitchen until it's time to eat.
Frierson: Do you at least go help clean up afterwards?
Lassiter: I'm too full at that point [laughs].
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Â
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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