University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Kenny McIntosh
March 18, 2022 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
The first time Georgia running back Kenny McIntosh sat down for a Quick Chat, back in October 2020, he talked about wanting to be a college football champion one day. As it turned out, that day came on Jan. 10, when the Bulldogs beat Alabama in the National Championship Game in Indianapolis.
As one of the Bulldogs' most versatile backs, McIntosh averaged 5.7 yards per carry in 58 attempts and caught 22 passes, averaging 11.0 yards per catch. With Zamir White and James Cook off to the NFL, McIntosh, a rising senior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., figures to be an even bigger part of the offense in the fall.
During a Quick Chat after practice Thursday, he talked about being a champion, the car he hopes to one day own, how he got his nickname, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Back in 2020, I asked you the following question: "If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?" And here was your answer: "Let me say being a champion because I haven't won anything in college football yet. Being a champion for one day and seeing how it feels, getting the taste of it, I'm always going to want to taste it again."
You are a champion now, so how does it feel?
McIntosh: It feels amazing. I want more — I feel like I got a little bit of it left in my mouth and I want to taste it more.
I won a title when I was little but I never did in high school. I did win a basketball one but I never got a chance to win one in football. For me to get that under my belt, I feel like God has been listening to my prayers and He's been with me every step of the journey. I just thank God for being with me every day.
Frierson: As a player, you're so physically and emotionally invested in trying to win a championship. So when Kelee Ringo intercepts the pass and returns it for a touchdown to seal the win, what were you doing and what were you feeling?
McIntosh: At that point of the game, I'm standing on the bench. All of us running backs were there on the bench. Once he caught the ball, it kind of hit me. I saw him running down the sideline and he kept going. When I saw him running down the sideline, I jumped off the bench and started running down the sideline. It was crazy and I couldn't believe it.
It took a moment for it to hit me, but when it did it definitely felt good.
Frierson: I think it would be hard for everybody to resist the urge to go chasing after Ringo.
McIntosh: I'm sure everybody wanted to run on the field then and we definitely have a good staff that was trying to control us.
That was 41 years of work (since Georgia's last national title) and it got everybody excited. The fans were screaming and going crazy — 41 years, that's crazy.
Frierson: When I talked to Zion Logue the other day, he said that he took his national championship hat and filled it with the confetti that was all over the field after you guys won. What did you keep from that moment?
McIntosh: I definitely took the newspaper that they gave us with Georgia on it. I took the hat and I took the shirt they gave us. Any time we win something, I make sure I get something for my parents. I have two hats, two shirts, two newspapers — I just make sure they've both got something after the game because they've been with me every step. None of this would be possible without them.
Frierson: You have what looks like a very fresh tattoo on your left arm, that reads "BLUEPRINT" — what's the story behind that?
McIntosh: I got the name "Blueprint" when I was playing football in Little League, the Lauderdale Lakes Vikings. We had an announcer and as he watched the game he would give somebody a nickname. I'd been doing good and there was one game, a playoff game that I remember like it was yesterday, and I'm just running the ball. During the run, I hear "There goes the Blueprint." Ever since then, the whole park didn't call me by my real name, they called me Blueprint.
For my birthday, I went and got this. It's a part of me forever now.
Frierson: Because that nickname has a specific connection to home, did it follow you here to Georgia?
McIntosh: It definitely came with me here. It's my Instagram name and everybody knows me by Blueprint.
Frierson: I know you love cars and that's a big thing you share with your dad. Is there one car that you have your eye on right now?
McIntosh: I'll tell you this, D'Andre Swift, he took my car. I wanted a (Jeep) Trackhawk, and it's not just a Trackhawk, I wanted a Trackhawk done a certain way. One day I remember I went back to Florida and he'd gotten it done exactly how I wanted it: matte grey outside, blue interior, everything real nice.
Right now, I think I'm looking at an AMG Benz truck. My brother's got one of those and they're real nice. They sit high and I feel like if I ever get tired of that, I could throw that down to one of my sisters or something. Maybe, we'll see. It's still a question mark ever since Swift took my idea.
Frierson: It does sound like Swift's car is in Detroit Lions colors.
McIntosh: It is, you're right. He definitely has a connection to it.
Frierson: Did he know about your interest in the car?
McIntosh: No, no, I don't think we ever spoke about that, to be honest. I just saw him with it.
Frierson: Now you know what it looks like.
McIntosh: [Laughs] I definitely know what it looks like now. It looks really good.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
The first time Georgia running back Kenny McIntosh sat down for a Quick Chat, back in October 2020, he talked about wanting to be a college football champion one day. As it turned out, that day came on Jan. 10, when the Bulldogs beat Alabama in the National Championship Game in Indianapolis.
As one of the Bulldogs' most versatile backs, McIntosh averaged 5.7 yards per carry in 58 attempts and caught 22 passes, averaging 11.0 yards per catch. With Zamir White and James Cook off to the NFL, McIntosh, a rising senior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., figures to be an even bigger part of the offense in the fall.
During a Quick Chat after practice Thursday, he talked about being a champion, the car he hopes to one day own, how he got his nickname, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Back in 2020, I asked you the following question: "If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?" And here was your answer: "Let me say being a champion because I haven't won anything in college football yet. Being a champion for one day and seeing how it feels, getting the taste of it, I'm always going to want to taste it again."
You are a champion now, so how does it feel?
McIntosh: It feels amazing. I want more — I feel like I got a little bit of it left in my mouth and I want to taste it more.
I won a title when I was little but I never did in high school. I did win a basketball one but I never got a chance to win one in football. For me to get that under my belt, I feel like God has been listening to my prayers and He's been with me every step of the journey. I just thank God for being with me every day.
Frierson: As a player, you're so physically and emotionally invested in trying to win a championship. So when Kelee Ringo intercepts the pass and returns it for a touchdown to seal the win, what were you doing and what were you feeling?
McIntosh: At that point of the game, I'm standing on the bench. All of us running backs were there on the bench. Once he caught the ball, it kind of hit me. I saw him running down the sideline and he kept going. When I saw him running down the sideline, I jumped off the bench and started running down the sideline. It was crazy and I couldn't believe it.
It took a moment for it to hit me, but when it did it definitely felt good.
Frierson: I think it would be hard for everybody to resist the urge to go chasing after Ringo.
McIntosh: I'm sure everybody wanted to run on the field then and we definitely have a good staff that was trying to control us.
That was 41 years of work (since Georgia's last national title) and it got everybody excited. The fans were screaming and going crazy — 41 years, that's crazy.
Frierson: When I talked to Zion Logue the other day, he said that he took his national championship hat and filled it with the confetti that was all over the field after you guys won. What did you keep from that moment?
McIntosh: I definitely took the newspaper that they gave us with Georgia on it. I took the hat and I took the shirt they gave us. Any time we win something, I make sure I get something for my parents. I have two hats, two shirts, two newspapers — I just make sure they've both got something after the game because they've been with me every step. None of this would be possible without them.
Frierson: You have what looks like a very fresh tattoo on your left arm, that reads "BLUEPRINT" — what's the story behind that?
McIntosh: I got the name "Blueprint" when I was playing football in Little League, the Lauderdale Lakes Vikings. We had an announcer and as he watched the game he would give somebody a nickname. I'd been doing good and there was one game, a playoff game that I remember like it was yesterday, and I'm just running the ball. During the run, I hear "There goes the Blueprint." Ever since then, the whole park didn't call me by my real name, they called me Blueprint.
For my birthday, I went and got this. It's a part of me forever now.
Frierson: Because that nickname has a specific connection to home, did it follow you here to Georgia?
McIntosh: It definitely came with me here. It's my Instagram name and everybody knows me by Blueprint.
Frierson: I know you love cars and that's a big thing you share with your dad. Is there one car that you have your eye on right now?
McIntosh: I'll tell you this, D'Andre Swift, he took my car. I wanted a (Jeep) Trackhawk, and it's not just a Trackhawk, I wanted a Trackhawk done a certain way. One day I remember I went back to Florida and he'd gotten it done exactly how I wanted it: matte grey outside, blue interior, everything real nice.
Right now, I think I'm looking at an AMG Benz truck. My brother's got one of those and they're real nice. They sit high and I feel like if I ever get tired of that, I could throw that down to one of my sisters or something. Maybe, we'll see. It's still a question mark ever since Swift took my idea.
Frierson: It does sound like Swift's car is in Detroit Lions colors.
McIntosh: It is, you're right. He definitely has a connection to it.
Frierson: Did he know about your interest in the car?
McIntosh: No, no, I don't think we ever spoke about that, to be honest. I just saw him with it.
Frierson: Now you know what it looks like.
McIntosh: [Laughs] I definitely know what it looks like now. It looks really good.
(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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