University of Georgia Athletics
Football And Biscuits: Yurosek Enjoying Georgia Experience
November 08, 2024 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Before transferring from Stanford to Georgia, Ben Yurosek had no experience with the Southeast. That was part of the appeal of joining the Bulldogs.
"I lived on the West Coast my whole life, so I was very unfamiliar with the South," the 6-foot-4 and 245-pound tight end said this week. "But at the end of the day, it's about getting out of your comfort zone and making sure you're making the best decision for your future."
Yurosek grew up in Bakersfield, Calif., also lived for a while in Washington, and first went to college in Palo Alto. After earning a degree from one of the most prestigious universities in the world and compiling more than 100 receptions and multiple All-Pac-12 honors with the Cardinal, he jumped at the chance to become a Bulldog.
"I knew this was the place for me to push myself and grow," he said. "It's a very demanding place that is going to get the best out of you."
The irony, of course, is that because of the implosion of the Pac-12 due to conference realignment, which ultimately forced Stanford's move to the ACC, the Cardinal played at Clemson in September and at N.C. State last Saturday. Yurosek, meanwhile, had two receptions for 39 yards, including a 31-yarder, in the No. 3-ranked Bulldogs' win over Florida last week in Jacksonville.
Yurosek, who missed half of last season at Stanford due to an injury, didn't have a catch in his first five Georgia games. His first reception as a Bulldog went for 29 yards, against Mississippi State on Oct. 12, and then he had two more last week.
"I think he's learned the speed and the way to approach practice here," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said, adding that Yurosek's "ability to practice well has gotten better with every week. It's translated to what he puts on the field, and he plays more physical. He practices more physical.
"He bought into the idea that, 'Oh, if I actually practice like a game, I'll play better in the game.' That's helped him, and it's helped us."Â Â
On Saturday, when the Bulldogs visit No. 16 Ole Miss, Georgia will need all of its offensive weapons on form. Yurosek is definitely settling in at UGA, on and off the field. He's weathered the worst of the heat and humidity, which he said was a struggle this summer, and he's even throwing out a "y'all" every once in a while. And his introduction to a Southern biscuit has been something of a revelation.
"The food's grown on me," he said. "Every single weekend, I'm looking for where I can find some good biscuits."
Yurosek comes from a very athletic family. His father, Derek, played football at Colorado State, and his mother, Kellie, played volleyball for the Rams. His grandfather, Mike Yurosek, also played at Colorado State, and, according to Yurosek's Stanford bio, "is credited with inventing the baby carrot."
Growing up, Yurosek played a wide range of sports. Along with football, he said he played soccer and basketball, he was a swimmer, and he picked up lacrosse while living in Washington for five years. He loved the variety.Â
"For my younger siblings and any younger person that I can talk to, I say play as many sports as you can," he said. "It translates so well. In basketball, the cutting; in lacrosse, the physicality. Every sport has a different aspect of team that I think you can take into football and other sports."
Up until his sophomore year of high school, Yurosek said, he thought he might pursue basketball instead of football.
"That's when I realized that someone with my height, my athleticism, it's a little bit harder to get to the NBA, so I took the football route," he said.
As for which football route he might take, that was something else that Yurosek had to decide. Along with making loads of catches and scoring lots of touchdowns on offense, he was a two-time County Defensive Player of the Year as a defensive end at Bakersfield Christian, with 22 sacks and five forced fumbles as a senior in 2019. He had more than 50 sacks in his high school career.
"I loved it," he said of playing defense. "If I'm 100% honest with you, I loved playing defense more than offense in high school. I actually got recruited as an outside linebacker by a couple of schools. Being that aggressor, being able to attack somebody, that's a good feeling."
Yurosek said Notre Dame, Washington and UCLA were among the schools that wanted him to play defense, but he didn't choose Stanford because they wanted him as a tight end.
"It was never about defense or offense, it was about the school," he said. "Luckily, Stanford had a great tight end history"
As does Georgia, which has three former Bulldogs — Brock Bowers, Darnell Washington and Charlie Woerner — playing in the NFL right now. Bowers, a rookie with the Las Vegas Raiders, ranks third in the league among all receivers with 57 receptions.
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.
