University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Cole Speer
April 10, 2024 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Cole Speer got a chance to meet the Georgia football media on Tuesday, a first for the rising junior wide receiver during his time as a Bulldog. Being selected by coach Kirby Smart as one of the three or four players made available for a weekly news conference doesn't guarantee anything as it relates to playing time and production, but it's usually a sign that you're doing some good things.
The 5-foot-11 and 185-pound Speer, from Calhoun, Ga., played on special teams and as a reserve wideout during Georgia's run to the 2022 national championship. His first career catch went for 12 yards, against South Carolina. Speer didn't have a catch last season, when he was again mostly a special teamer, but he did recover a fumble against Florida State during the Capital One Orange Bowl.
On Saturday, Speer and the Bulldogs will wrap up spring practice with the annual G-Day game at Sanford Stadium. The winners get steak and lobster for dinner, while the losers are stuck with hot dogs. During a Quick Chat before practice Tuesday, Speer talked about meeting the press for the first time at Georgia, the keys to being a good special teams player, his funniest teammate, and much more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What was it like to stand in front of a room full of beat writers and answer a bunch of questions?
Speer: It's something new that I'll probably have to get used to, but it was a good experience and something else that I can learn from and get better at. It was interesting.
Frierson: As somebody who has primarily played special teams, what is the key to being a good, effective special teams player?
Speer: Knowing your role and really playing into that, like game-by-game. At the end of the day, as long as you're traveling, as long as you're going to (and dressing out for) the games, there's always a chance outside of special teams to get on the field.
People can get hurt, people can go down, and so when you're on special teams, Coach Smart and the other coaches see you as a very dependable player. And when you're dependable, you can play any position, anywhere at any time. That's my advice to the younger guys and the guys coming in that don't initially want to play special teams but are forced to.
Frierson: Everybody on Georgia's team was a star in high school, so do guys have to put their egos aside when they get here as freshmen and mostly wind up on special teams?
Speer: Coach Smart does a really good job of making it clear to all of the new guys coming in that that's what it is and that's what it's going to be here, and so far that's been winning us a lot of games and championships.
Another big thing is, if you want to get to the NFL and have a long career, special teams is a good way to have a backup plan or a plan to get onto a team in the first place and work your way up.
Frierson: Did you play a lot of sports when you were growing up, or was football always the main thing?
Speer: I played pretty much every sport, from baseball, basketball and soccer to football; I played a little bit of golf and pretty much anything I could compete at.
Frierson: Was there one that you came close to choosing over football?
Speer: Baseball was probably that sport. I grew up playing baseball, I did travel baseball, and I played right up through middle school, and that's when I switched and decided that maybe football's the route I should take. When I got to high school, I was all-in on football.
I ran track and played basketball my freshman year of high school, but after that, I cut that out and started to focus on football more seriously.
Frierson: If you could play any other sport for Georgia, what would it be?
Speer: Right now, I would probably say golf. I've been playing more golf; I don't know if that's because I'm getting older or what, but I really enjoy playing golf a lot more now than I used to.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Speer: I would say Mike, Big Mike, Micah Morris (a 6-6 and 330-pound junior offensive lineman).
Frierson: Is he always trying to be funny?
Speer: That's the thing, I don't see people trying to be funny as that funny sometimes. He doesn't try to be funny, that's just who he is and how he is, and he'll sometimes catch you off guard. You'll be having a conversation with him and next thing you know, you're busting out laughing.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from football and school? How do you relax?
Speer: That's one thing that golf has been for me recently. Golf and fishing, they slow things down a little bit and you get to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.
Frierson: What is something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Speer: Probably steak — I'm a real big steak guy, so a medium-rare steak, a filet preferably, but a ribeye will always be good, too. I like to grill a lot. I grill hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, pork chops; I wouldn't say I cook much, but I definitely like to grill.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Cole Speer got a chance to meet the Georgia football media on Tuesday, a first for the rising junior wide receiver during his time as a Bulldog. Being selected by coach Kirby Smart as one of the three or four players made available for a weekly news conference doesn't guarantee anything as it relates to playing time and production, but it's usually a sign that you're doing some good things.
The 5-foot-11 and 185-pound Speer, from Calhoun, Ga., played on special teams and as a reserve wideout during Georgia's run to the 2022 national championship. His first career catch went for 12 yards, against South Carolina. Speer didn't have a catch last season, when he was again mostly a special teamer, but he did recover a fumble against Florida State during the Capital One Orange Bowl.
On Saturday, Speer and the Bulldogs will wrap up spring practice with the annual G-Day game at Sanford Stadium. The winners get steak and lobster for dinner, while the losers are stuck with hot dogs. During a Quick Chat before practice Tuesday, Speer talked about meeting the press for the first time at Georgia, the keys to being a good special teams player, his funniest teammate, and much more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What was it like to stand in front of a room full of beat writers and answer a bunch of questions?
Speer: It's something new that I'll probably have to get used to, but it was a good experience and something else that I can learn from and get better at. It was interesting.
Frierson: As somebody who has primarily played special teams, what is the key to being a good, effective special teams player?
Speer: Knowing your role and really playing into that, like game-by-game. At the end of the day, as long as you're traveling, as long as you're going to (and dressing out for) the games, there's always a chance outside of special teams to get on the field.
People can get hurt, people can go down, and so when you're on special teams, Coach Smart and the other coaches see you as a very dependable player. And when you're dependable, you can play any position, anywhere at any time. That's my advice to the younger guys and the guys coming in that don't initially want to play special teams but are forced to.
Frierson: Everybody on Georgia's team was a star in high school, so do guys have to put their egos aside when they get here as freshmen and mostly wind up on special teams?
Speer: Coach Smart does a really good job of making it clear to all of the new guys coming in that that's what it is and that's what it's going to be here, and so far that's been winning us a lot of games and championships.
Another big thing is, if you want to get to the NFL and have a long career, special teams is a good way to have a backup plan or a plan to get onto a team in the first place and work your way up.
Frierson: Did you play a lot of sports when you were growing up, or was football always the main thing?
Speer: I played pretty much every sport, from baseball, basketball and soccer to football; I played a little bit of golf and pretty much anything I could compete at.
Frierson: Was there one that you came close to choosing over football?
Speer: Baseball was probably that sport. I grew up playing baseball, I did travel baseball, and I played right up through middle school, and that's when I switched and decided that maybe football's the route I should take. When I got to high school, I was all-in on football.
I ran track and played basketball my freshman year of high school, but after that, I cut that out and started to focus on football more seriously.
Frierson: If you could play any other sport for Georgia, what would it be?
Speer: Right now, I would probably say golf. I've been playing more golf; I don't know if that's because I'm getting older or what, but I really enjoy playing golf a lot more now than I used to.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Speer: I would say Mike, Big Mike, Micah Morris (a 6-6 and 330-pound junior offensive lineman).
Frierson: Is he always trying to be funny?
Speer: That's the thing, I don't see people trying to be funny as that funny sometimes. He doesn't try to be funny, that's just who he is and how he is, and he'll sometimes catch you off guard. You'll be having a conversation with him and next thing you know, you're busting out laughing.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from football and school? How do you relax?
Speer: That's one thing that golf has been for me recently. Golf and fishing, they slow things down a little bit and you get to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.
Frierson: What is something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Speer: Probably steak — I'm a real big steak guy, so a medium-rare steak, a filet preferably, but a ribeye will always be good, too. I like to grill a lot. I grill hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, pork chops; I wouldn't say I cook much, but I definitely like to grill.
(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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