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Thursday, October 28, aoio | The Red a Black
Safety Alec Ogletree created a hard-hitting reputation in high school.
Now, the freshman is patiently waiting to lay his first big hit on an unsuspecting opponent.
By RACHEL G. BOWERS
The Red & Buck
Alec Ogletree tried to
hold back and avoid hurt
ing his teammate, but it
was too late.
The safety had comer
back Branden Smith in his
sights during an 11-on-ll
drill in practice when Smith
was getting reps with the
offense.
Thes-foot-11, 175-pound
Smith ran right into two
walls the 6-foot-3, 224-
pound freshman Ogletree
and the wall that surrounds
Georgia’s practice field
and wound up with a con-
cussion after the
collision.
“That’s probably
the toughest [hit] I
ever saw [Ogletree]
give,” safety Bacarri
Rambo said.
“Branden Smith
was coming around
the end and he just
took Branden Smith
out. But he realized
it was Branden
Smith and he tried to catch
him and avoid from hurt
ing him but it as too late.
Branden Smith [went] into
the wall. Everybody like,
mouths just dropped.”
Ogletree's high school
highlight reel is filled with
huge hits that make foot
ball fans cringe when they
watch. After hitting his
growth spurt in ninth grade
and lifting weights during
the year, Ogletree began to
build his eventual big hit
ter reputation during his
sophomore season at
Newnan High School.
In a game against Griffin
High School, Ogletree laid
out a receiver running
across the middle of the
field, registering the first
big his of his young career.
Though Ogletree was
aware of the caliber of hit
he delivered, he said he
brushed off the shock and
awe of coaches and fans,
chalking it up to just
another day’s work.
“[The coaches] were
just looking at me. They
just had a glare in their
eyes and stuff,” Ogletree
said. “I knew they was
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excited and stuff a lot of
people came up to me after
the game talking about the
hit and stuff but I mean I
just like, ‘Well, well, [let’s]
move on.”*
But going from being
such a dominating pres
ence on the field through
out high school to transi
tioning to the collegiate
level and in anew defen
sive scheme made for a
new challenge for the fresh
man.
“Everybody’s faster [at
the collegiate level] —a
whole lot faster," Ogletree
said. “In our [high school]
region, we had fast kids,
but it’s a different
level coming to col
lege facing kids in
practice that are
faster than dudes I
was in high school
with. You just gotta
keep working at it.”
Despite his youth,
the reputation and
the fall camp and
practice perfor
mance of the self-
OGLETREE
described “quiet guy”
spoke volumes to the vet
erans on the Bulldog
defense.
Not only did his reputa
tion create somewhat of a
buzz, his size rivals that of
some of Georgia's lineback
ers.
“He’s a big hitter He’s
so big for a safety and he
just comes downhill and
he’s made some really big
hits [in practice] and you
kinda wanna hold him back
so he doesn't hurt the guys
on offense," linebacker
Christian Robinson said.
“He’s a great athlete. He’s
learning. He’s getting bet
ter every week. I’m out
there with him, encourag
ing him and I love watch
ing him play. He’s doing a
great job.”
Because of his perfor
mance in practice, Ogletree
worked his way into the
game rotation for the
Bulldogs.
Though he has tallied
just nine tackles on the
season, five of which have
come in the Bulldogs’ last
three games, Ogletree has
yet to deliver the type of
DELIVERING BLOWS
WES BLANKENSHIP ! TANARUS Rid * Ruti
▲ Safety Alec Ogletree (9) built a reputation of being a hard hitter and has worked his way into
the game rotation for the Bulldogs because of his performance in practice.
bone-crushing blow he
often handed out in high
school.
“I’m very excited to see
[Ogletree’s first big] hit. If
he do that, everybody
gonna get out the stands
when he hit somebody
coming across the middle,”
Rambo said. “That’s gonna
be a rough lick. I thought
he was gonna get one
[against Kentucky], but it
didn't happen. I’m just
ready for him to see it hap
pen.”
While Rambo and
Robinson said they are
both more than excited to
watch Ogletree to nail an
unsuspecting receiver,
Ogletree said he is being
patient and getting more
and more comfortable with
Georgia’s defensive
scheme.
“That’s what I did in
high school. I just waited
and when the opportunity
[to hit someone] came I
took it,” Ogletree said.
“Whenever it comes up
here, it’ll come. I’m not try
ing to rush it or nothing.”
Ogletree’s twin brother
Free
appetizers.
See below.
FIRST & GOAL
Alexander, who is a full
back for the Bulldogs, said
once his brother finds his
way on defense, he’ll do
what he does best flat
ten offensive players.
“It’s destined to happen
because that’s just what he
do,” said Alexander
Ogletree. “Once he get a
couple games under his
belt then he get used to
the atmosphere or whatev
er and used to playing and
stuff and once he makes
that big hit, he’ll be all
right.”
Rambo said Ogletree
has the potential to be
“one of the greats" to play
safety at Georgia and when
the freshman reaches his
peak. Ogletree will be a
force on the field for the
Bulldogs' defense.
“I think he'll get his con
fidence up and like the feel
ing of the crowd arid every
body [will be] so excited,”
Rambo said. “I think he’ll
like the feel of that and I
think it’s gonna be on and
then he’ll turn that switch
on and it’s gonna be hard
to stop him."
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JACKED UP
Early in head coach Mark
Richt’s career at Georgia, two
safeties came through the
Bulldogs’ ranks who posed
huge, big hit threats in the sec
ondary Thomas Davis and
Greg Blue. Freshman safety
Alec Ogletree possesses simi
lar size and stature to the two
All-Americans and has the potential to produce
the same type of awe-inspiring hits.
Safety Bacarri Rambo on Alec Ogletree's
potential: ‘I can't wait to come back and see
that guy when he get to be a senior ...I know
like the opponents' receivers, they just gonna
see him out there at safety and that just
gonna put fear in they heart. But other than
that he's a very aggressive guy ... But he has
a lot of potential to be one of the great safe
ties at UGA like Thomas Davis because I
haven’t seen him backing down from no one.
He's not far from [it]. ’
DAVIS