University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Jamon Dumas-Johnson
September 15, 2022 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Growing up with six brothers, including a twin, Javon, helped Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson get where he is today. The cauldron of competition that was playing with his brothers all of the time, it created the drive and toughness that Dumas-Johnson demonstrates on the football field.
A 6-foot-1 and 245 pound sophomore, Dumas-Johnson has moved into a starting role this season after playing in 14 games off the bench last season. Dumas-Johnson, from Hyattsville, Md., played at Baltimore-area power St. Frances Academy, and you might have seen him on the HBO four-part series, "The Cost of Winning," that was filmed during his senior season.
One of the changes Dumas-Johnson has made since arriving at Georgia is his diet. His favorite food used to be marshmallows — it probably still is, but it's not a regular part of his diet anymore — and now he chooses healthier tasty treats like grapes and pineapple. He credits Georgia's nutritionists with helping him feel and play better.
In his first game as a Bulldog, last season against UAB, Dumas-Johnson intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. As he said during a recent Quick Chat, it was a play he told his teammates was going to happen.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Dumas-Johnson: I would say (freshman defensive lineman) Christen Miller. He's a really funny dude. The funny guys definitely make you forget about the tough and long days, grinding day in and day out. They make you remember it's all just football, you've still got to live your life.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from school and football?
Dumas-Johnson: I hope on the game (system) with my brothers. They don't think I have free time, but I've got a little free time, and that's what I do. I hope on the game with my brothers, friends and teammates here.
Frierson: What's the main game these days? It's not still Fortnite is it?
Dumas-Johnson: No, no, we're college kids, we don't — I'm not going to knock the Fortnite but the new (NBA)2K just came out about a week ago, so we're all into that 2K right now.
Frierson: Do you have a favorite team to play?
Dumas-Johnson: I'll probably run with the Bucks — Giannis (Antetokounmpo) is unstoppable.
Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up? Was there anything else you were really good at?
Dumas-Johnson: I played basketball but that didn't last too long. I played about four years of youth league and then I tried playing at St. Frances, and I asked myself, "What are you doing here? Are you here to play football or basketball?" So I focused on football and look where it got me.
Frierson: What does it feel like to be here? Most of us can't relate to the feeling of getting a scholarship offer from one of the best programs in the country. It's a heck of a compliment.
Dumas-Johnson: When I got that Georgia offer, I felt as if I did something right. I'm not going to say I made it, but I got my foot in the door. As soon as I got that Georgia offer, about a week in I told coach, "I want to be a Dawg." That was a good feeling.
Frierson: Do you have a creative side?
Dumas-Johnson: Nah, not right now, not during ball. I don't have a creative side.
Frierson: Is there anyone on the team that's impressed you with their talent in some sort of creative area like art or music?
Dumas-Johnson: Oh, yeah. (Junior defensive lineman) Bill Norton, he makes beats. He'll make a little music and stuff like that, and he's definitely one of the more creative guys on the team. We've got a little setup where the team can make music and we'll go over there and my some music and rhymes real quick.
Frierson: Take me back to your first game action for Georgia, against UAB. You're not only playing, you pick off a pass and return it 20 yards for a touchdown. Was that beyond your wildest dreams?
Dumas-Johnson: It was definitely crazy. The funny part about that is, I forgot who I was talking to but going into halftime, the other linebackers — Nakobe (Dean), Quay Walker, Channing Tindall — they were all telling me, "You know you're going to get in this game, right?" [Laughs] And I'm like, "Who, me?"
I was like, cool, shoot, I'm going to get a pick this game, I can feel it. We kept talking and they were like, "We you catch that pick, come to the sideline — we got you." It's crazy that it happened just like it was planned. That was a crazy experience and feeling, but that's in the past. I'm trying to get me one this year [laughs].
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Growing up with six brothers, including a twin, Javon, helped Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson get where he is today. The cauldron of competition that was playing with his brothers all of the time, it created the drive and toughness that Dumas-Johnson demonstrates on the football field.
A 6-foot-1 and 245 pound sophomore, Dumas-Johnson has moved into a starting role this season after playing in 14 games off the bench last season. Dumas-Johnson, from Hyattsville, Md., played at Baltimore-area power St. Frances Academy, and you might have seen him on the HBO four-part series, "The Cost of Winning," that was filmed during his senior season.
One of the changes Dumas-Johnson has made since arriving at Georgia is his diet. His favorite food used to be marshmallows — it probably still is, but it's not a regular part of his diet anymore — and now he chooses healthier tasty treats like grapes and pineapple. He credits Georgia's nutritionists with helping him feel and play better.
In his first game as a Bulldog, last season against UAB, Dumas-Johnson intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. As he said during a recent Quick Chat, it was a play he told his teammates was going to happen.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Dumas-Johnson: I would say (freshman defensive lineman) Christen Miller. He's a really funny dude. The funny guys definitely make you forget about the tough and long days, grinding day in and day out. They make you remember it's all just football, you've still got to live your life.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from school and football?
Dumas-Johnson: I hope on the game (system) with my brothers. They don't think I have free time, but I've got a little free time, and that's what I do. I hope on the game with my brothers, friends and teammates here.
Frierson: What's the main game these days? It's not still Fortnite is it?
Dumas-Johnson: No, no, we're college kids, we don't — I'm not going to knock the Fortnite but the new (NBA)2K just came out about a week ago, so we're all into that 2K right now.
Frierson: Do you have a favorite team to play?
Dumas-Johnson: I'll probably run with the Bucks — Giannis (Antetokounmpo) is unstoppable.
Frierson: What other sports did you play growing up? Was there anything else you were really good at?
Dumas-Johnson: I played basketball but that didn't last too long. I played about four years of youth league and then I tried playing at St. Frances, and I asked myself, "What are you doing here? Are you here to play football or basketball?" So I focused on football and look where it got me.
Frierson: What does it feel like to be here? Most of us can't relate to the feeling of getting a scholarship offer from one of the best programs in the country. It's a heck of a compliment.
Dumas-Johnson: When I got that Georgia offer, I felt as if I did something right. I'm not going to say I made it, but I got my foot in the door. As soon as I got that Georgia offer, about a week in I told coach, "I want to be a Dawg." That was a good feeling.
Frierson: Do you have a creative side?
Dumas-Johnson: Nah, not right now, not during ball. I don't have a creative side.
Frierson: Is there anyone on the team that's impressed you with their talent in some sort of creative area like art or music?
Dumas-Johnson: Oh, yeah. (Junior defensive lineman) Bill Norton, he makes beats. He'll make a little music and stuff like that, and he's definitely one of the more creative guys on the team. We've got a little setup where the team can make music and we'll go over there and my some music and rhymes real quick.
Frierson: Take me back to your first game action for Georgia, against UAB. You're not only playing, you pick off a pass and return it 20 yards for a touchdown. Was that beyond your wildest dreams?
Dumas-Johnson: It was definitely crazy. The funny part about that is, I forgot who I was talking to but going into halftime, the other linebackers — Nakobe (Dean), Quay Walker, Channing Tindall — they were all telling me, "You know you're going to get in this game, right?" [Laughs] And I'm like, "Who, me?"
I was like, cool, shoot, I'm going to get a pick this game, I can feel it. We kept talking and they were like, "We you catch that pick, come to the sideline — we got you." It's crazy that it happened just like it was planned. That was a crazy experience and feeling, but that's in the past. I'm trying to get me one this year [laughs].
(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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