CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: GEORGIA VS TCU

January 7, 2023

Dell McGee

SoFi Stadium

Georgia Bulldogs

Press Conference

Q. (No microphone.)

DELL MCGEE: TCU presents a different and a unique style of defense for us as an offense. They're a 3, 3, 5 where they have very athletic, rangy defensive ends. They got basically two seniors on the edges. They got one true freshman that's their anchor that has done a tremendous job coming in and playing as a true freshman.

The second level of their defense, their linebackers and their nickel are all veteran guys. They're very fast on the second level. Winters really sticks out as being one of the leaders and one of their defensive players that really you got to know where he is and be aware of where his locations are on the defense.

Then on the back end you got Tomlinson. Then they got several transfers portal guys that have kind of filled in.

They have basically eight seniors and then you add those three transfer portal guys and Hodges I think the outside linebacker, 57, that came from Navy adds to that.

So they got a very veteran group. A lot of defensive guys that played a lot of football. You can see that they gelled very well. You got to credit Coach Patterson for kind of recruiting those younger guys and that development. But then just Coach Dykes and Coach Gillespie, the DC, their new culture and just getting that buy-in for that defense and just an overall team philosophy.

So they present a lot of unique issues that we don't see in our league. It's been a lot of hard work for our scout team to try to emulate and give us a picture to help us be successful on Monday night, hopefully.

Q. What do you remember from the 2016 season? The difficulties of that season?

DELL MCGEE: I remember having to get on a bus, because the new facility was being built, I remember getting on a bus having to ride basically 15 to 20 minutes to a solar panel area where we had practice. Having to get off that bus and go back. So you lost a lot of travel time.

I also remember when we did have inclement weather we would try to go down to a Flowery Branch and borrow Atlanta's indoor or use the, I think it was the dome then. So that was a three-hour just travel trip. So I remember the travel times being very, very hard on our kids. And just that structure of practice where you lose that on that consistency.

Q. I spoke to Lorenzo Carter and a few other guys about the practicing was different then than the previous regime. It wasn't necessarily open rebelling, but there was a little bit of not used to doing things this way. Some guys never got on board. As a coach, could you sort of see that some guys didn't do that?

DELL MCGEE: I wouldn't necessarily say they didn't get on board. I think Coach Smart had a high standard for us as coaches and our players and it was our job to create a very fast practice.

Coach Smart's very organized. He expects coaches to know exactly where we're going and be ahead of the kids and getting those guys going in the right direction.

This program was built on physicality. I know of a lot of our kids refer to Tuesday practices as Bloody Tuesday. Which is a very physical practice, but it's not necessarily actual blood.

But our strength coaches will do some things to make it more exciting, to get our guys motivated on a Tuesday practice.

But there is a lot of good-on-good where you get a chance to play against basically the best offense, best defense in our conference. So we try to make Tuesdays harder than the game. I think our kids and coaches have done a great job of buying into that.

Q. TCU getting in this year and obviously the playoffs eventually expanding to 12 teams. How much more difficult is it going to be for the quote unquote traditional college football powers to navigate through a post-season every year and almost even establish sort of a dynasty or whatever?

DELL MCGEE: Well I don't know about dynasty, but I just know the standard that we have. First goal is always to win the SEC East. Then if you can win the SEC. And then whatever comes out of that normally provides a great opportunity to make the top 4 and you would think the top 12.

When the CFP expands to that 12 teams I do think it will be a challenge how they're going to determine the venues. If you just think back to this like what, it was very, very cold where you had all the inclement weather and things of that sort. So I think there are some things that they're going to have to make some decisions on locations and how that progresses.

Q. You're a Columbus guy. What's it like coming from Columbus and being on a big stage like this?

DELL MCGEE: Well you should be asking that question better than me. I had a great opportunity to recruit Mykel. Great family, great kid, great person.

I think it's always an honor to be able to put our home city on the map by what we do day-in and day-out. It's not about this stage, I think it's just our every day, the way we handle our business. Very fortunate and happy to be in this position for the second year in a row. Very happy that you're going to be part of this process where you can add value to the guys that come after you. And you're going to be able to help AJ Harris and Kelton Smith who are also from the Columbus area understand what it takes to be productive and hopefully make it back here.

Q. Can you talk about what Daijun brings to the running game, kind of his attributes that compliment or add to what you guys already have?

DELL MCGEE: Daijun is a very hard worker. He's very quiet. All he knows is to grind and say, Yes, sir. No, sir.

Having Daijun is very refreshing, because you don't see guys like that that just doesn't complain about anything. Whether it's carries, whether it's playing on special teams and having to go back in. And that's what's very, very unique about Daijun. Has a great feel for running the football inside and outside of tackles.

He has a receiving ability where we trust him in the pass game and he's also sturdy enough to be able to pick up blitzes when that occurs. So I think Daijun's a complete back and we're very fortunate to have him.

Q. When you have a running back who, obviously, they kind of compliment each other. How important is that, especially against a game like TCU?

DELL MCGEE: I think it's important. Just the depth that we have. We've had a couple of injuries that we have kind of had to withstand and we have a next man up mentality. And I think our guys have really stepped up when guys have went down. In particular Kendall went down and Branson had to play a little bit more than expected early on in the season.

Just like you said, we got to make sure anyone that's on the trip is prepared. Because our standard is it doesn't matter. If you're old enough, you're good enough and next man up mentality.

But all three of those guys are going to be instrumental in us being successful on Monday night. It's not just running the football, it's going to be playing special teams and adding value there.

Because TCU does an outstanding job in their teams. Just like I mentioned previously, their style of defense is very unique. They fly around to the ball and they're gang tacklers. So trying to keep our guys fresh is the goal.

Q. The experience factor. How much do you think that's going to play Monday night? A lot of the players have been in these moments before, whether starting or not, they have experienced this. How big a role is that going to play?

DELL MCGEE: I think both teams have experience because we're at week 15. So I don't think the moment's going to be too high for either team. So I don't think either team has an advantage. I think, other than running out of the tunnel playing in SoFi and I think both teams have practiced and will practice there and kind of get that out of the way.

But after that first whistle blows, the first kickoff or kickoff return, it's just playing football.

Q. How is this different than last year? Obviously you guys win in 2017. We are here in 2023. Obviously there's always pressure with a game like this. But having that 41-year gap erased, is there a sense of relief or what's the vibe?

DELL MCGEE: I just think this team has a different mindset. They want to do something different this year. Right now they have put themselves in a position to be different than even last year's team.

There was a lot of talk and outside noise about how many NFL draft picks we had. And I think those guys, our players took that upon themselves to make it a benefit. And you can kind of see the growth and the maturity of our entire team as the season progressed. You can't say enough about that leadership and maturation process to be in this position.

Q. (Question about losing so many players to the NFL last year.)

DELL MCGEE: Just always to bring in the best student athlete we can that we feel like can be successful in the classroom as well as on the football field.

That just goes back to Coach Smart's recruiting philosophy. We want to make sure we get the right kid that fits the mode of what represents Georgia football.

I really don't look at it where we lost kids to the portal. I do think the kids that were in our program they got a chance to learn a lot from the older guys.

I just think when you can have good leadership and the younger guys buy into that leadership and they understand that they're going to be in those roles the following years and they're able to kind of make the team their own and create their own identity and voice. I think that showed up more. It's just a very good compliment to those guys that have embraced this year's team.

Q. (Question about Malachi Carter.)

DELL MCGEE: He's just a great young man. I think having older veteran guys around him. Dan Jackson and Chris Smith, he was able to lean on those veterans to get through a little bit of the freshman jitters.

We're in week 15 so now he's not really considered a true freshman any more. He's played a lot of football. I think he has confidence in his abilities and hopefully they will show up on Monday night.

Q. How would you describe Malachi as a person?

DELL MCGEE: He's a very humble kid. I think he's a great teammate. He says hello to everyone in the organization. He's a very likeable person, smiling. He can joke around.

So I think he has a lot of versatility to him. He's actually one of the young guys that will be a leader moving forward.

Q. What do you think about postseason this year. The number of complaints about the matchups that happened this year. TCU being in this game. You guys being steady and being able to get here, stay here. What does that say about just college football this season?

DELL MCGEE: I haven't even really watched bowl games, to be honest with you. We've been doing so much. So I haven't really paid attention.

I just think it's different now. If you're not in the final four or in that playoff hunt I think the teams that are playing in those, they're not their true team. So the wins and losses with conferences, I don't think it's a direct reflection of what it would really look like.

Because you got the kids that opt out, kids that decide not to play because they're going to go into the NFL draft. So you're not getting that full complement or that exact team that you could have.

I think adding more teams to the playoff will help college football and keep the portal issues down.

Q. You don't want to get into a conversation about the portal?

DELL MCGEE: Man, that thing's rough. (Laughing.)

Q. When this is all done, first vacation spot?

DELL MCGEE: I haven't even decided yet. I haven't even decided.

Q. Freshman year you called a running play for Carter. He scored a touchdown. Do you think the timing of what happened to running the touchdown, do you think I'll ever have a shot to do it? Would you ever call a 97 dive?

DELL MCGEE: Well, first off, it was a pass play to Jalen. He didn't actually run the ball in. If you put in the work we may think about it. How about that? I think you would be better suited to play tight end though.

Q. I'll do anything to help the team win. I was on that for two practices. They took me off. Why?

DELL MCGEE: Someone performed better.

Q. Where did you play college ball?

DELL MCGEE: I played at Auburn. '91 to '95.

Q. (No microphone.)

DELL MCGEE: Actually I lived out here. I played in the XFL the one year it lasted out here year. I played for the L.A. Xtreme. 2001. Lived in Long Beach. Very expensive back then too. We had four roommates in a two bedroom and it was still like 3,500 or something, if I remember correctly. We used to alternate who slept in the bedroom. The things you do.

Q. You probably wouldn't go back and change it, would you?

DELL MCGEE: No, I wouldn't change that. All I can do is learn from those past experiences and just move forward.

Q. Have you played out in Colorado?

DELL MCGEE: No, I haven't. Live in Arizona. Got drafted by the Cardinals in '96, so I was there for three years. I liked Arizona.

Q. Larry Fitzgerald has a house there. Up in the hills there.

DELL MCGEE: Okay. Yeah. I liked Arizona.

I went back for the first time this past summer. A small convention there this summer. Stayed in Scottsdale. That Camelback. Where that golf resort is. It's grown. It's crazy.

Q. (No microphone.)

DELL MCGEE: I'm from Georgia, coached high school ball in Georgia.

Q. (No microphone.)

DELL MCGEE: I would say that the Little League and Pop Warner programs are very effective and it kind of stems from that.

I also think that the high school coaches in the state of Georgia do a tremendous job of implementing an exact system like colleges. When you talk about the structure of practice, their off-seasons, summer conditioning. They just do a tremendous job of preparing student athletes for high school. It's very attractive to a lot of college recruiters from all across the nation.

Georgia's a hotbed. If you look at the statistics of NFL players that come out of the state of Georgia, I would say, per capita, you're probably talking about the No. 1 state in terms of NFL readiness.

Q. In some ways it's like, Well, hey, man, those kids all want to grow up going to Georgia. What a great benefit to the University of Georgia. But there's a great airport in Atlanta. Everybody can get to Georgia. Give me the balance there of like, Hey, we're putting out a lot of people, but they also are in your backyard and a lot of kids have an attachment. What's the dynamic of those recruiting battles?

DELL MCGEE: I would mention, when you mention the Atlanta airport and kids from a distance that's not in your five-hour radius that has to get on a flight and they want to go visit Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Tennessee, Florida, they're able to attract those guys to come to your campus.

I also think that so many of the camps, whether it's Rivals where they have those camps in Atlanta and they're getting kids nationally to come in, you're always trying to get those kids to stop by your university as well.

So I just think the off-season events gains and adds exposure to our program and it allows the interest level for them to come and visit us.

Q. Having national kids kind of be in Georgia's backyard, that does sort of help as far as you identifying what national -- when I say national, it's like Brod, guys like that, that helps?

DELL MCGEE: Well I would say that that was a recruiting piece identification. It doesn't matter what state a student athlete lives in, we got a criteria that we go by. If they fit that criteria, then we're going to recruit our position. Not just in our state but nationally.

Q. But it helps to have that in state. Does it make it easier?

DELL MCGEE: Well it doesn't make it easier. When you're going out of state you're really identifying someone that fits the standard and the mold that you want to bring into your program. So going out of state is a great deal and it just shows that Coach Smart's willing to take kids outside of that five-hour radius.

Q. What were the biggest things that helped you in your transition?

DELL MCGEE: Just being a high school coach I was able to have Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll come recruit kids. And I got a chance to see those guys' sales pitches. I saw what I liked, saw what I didn't like. I saw who was genuine and who was kind of feeding the kids BS. So that helped me in my recruiting now.

I kind of use some of the things, but more importantly I just think you got to be genuine. Learned a lot of that at Auburn. Got to give a lot of thanks to Gus for giving me the opportunity to enter the college realm.

Recruiting has changed so much now just because of the transfer portal, NIL. So there's just added, I wouldn't say pressure, but just different variables out there that certain kids are going to flock to.

You just got to identify the right student athlete that's not about NIL, necessarily, but it is important and I know we're very competitive when it comes to that. You got to want to play at Georgia to be at Georgia.

Q. (No microphone.)

DELL MCGEE: Just shows his relentlessness. The way he keeps and holds his coaches to a high standard. It's a credit to every member in our organization. And it's a very -- it's a real opportunity. Very fortunate to be in this position.

I think it goes to show the leadership of our team now, that they were able to embrace this opportunity and try to create their own identity and trying to do something different.