Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson speaks to the media following practice (8/2/2023)
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00:00 >> Let's start again with Saman.
00:02 Remember the mic holders on either side, whoever has a question,
00:05 please raise your hand.
00:06 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:11 >> Saman, when we talked to Coach Smart yesterday, he talked about Xavion and
00:15 how far he feels like he's come the last five or six months.
00:18 What have you seen from him, the way he's developed, getting ready for
00:21 home camp?
00:23 >> Just being him, consistent, being who we are.
00:28 Not nothing changed since I've been a freshman here.
00:30 Just being who we are, energetic, hard on you.
00:33 Just being him at the end of the day, being consistent.
00:38 >> Coach Truman posted a lot on social media for the linebacker Olympics.
00:43 I'm curious to know just what you experienced from that and
00:47 what you get out of that event.
00:48 >> You learn a lot about the people in your room,
00:53 what they're good at and what they're not good at.
00:57 Just an overall time to have fun, be connected before going into ground mode.
01:03 That's really my shit about the linebacker Olympics.
01:08 A little bit of fun time before getting to work.
01:11 >> Jermaine, yeah, Kirby talked, he's told the story a couple times.
01:17 Probably saw it about spring drills and calling you a smile about
01:21 turning up the tempo and asking if you were giving the same 110 as the year before.
01:25 How difficult is that when you're as accomplished as you are to keep that
01:30 motor running as high as it was when you were that hungry guy just trying to get snaps?
01:35 >> Really just take it in yourself.
01:37 Coach don't praise you for
01:42 checking unless you're really doing that bad or doing that good.
01:47 So when he told us that, we had to really look ourselves in the mirror and
01:52 actually be truthful with ourselves about what coach was saying.
01:57 And he actually showed us some film and some clips of us,
02:00 that sophomore fall camp going into our sophomore year.
02:05 And he was right as if we looked at it and we was hungry.
02:08 And so fast forward now, you know you gotta keep the same energy.
02:12 We're really trying to do the same thing as we did last year.
02:15 People still, without a doubt,
02:19 still be telling us just keeping that chip on our shoulder and growing it.
02:24 >> Yeah, Jumaane, second year starting, third year in the system.
02:27 Coach talked yesterday about the volume of the defense.
02:29 I'm curious how long it took you before you had full retention of what you were
02:32 doing and confident enough to correct others.
02:36 >> I said, like I said, my second year, actually my first interview,
02:43 they asked me how you know you'll be okay.
02:46 And I said, I really told them just as long as you lock in your first year,
02:49 learn behind the guys that's ahead of you.
02:52 And when your time comes, it comes because at the inside linebacker here
02:57 at the University of Georgia, they respect you by just the position you play,
03:01 not by who you are, just the position you play.
03:03 So they're gonna learn, they're gonna listen to you, no matter if they know you
03:07 or not, because my position is the heartbeat of the defense.
03:11 And we move as he moved, or that group as the inside linebacker moved.
03:16 So it's not really the time frame, it's that position.
03:20 And like I said, as long as you learn and lock in that first year and
03:24 that following year, you ready, they're gonna move as you move.
03:27 >> Jermaine, I don't know if you've had a chance to talk to you since the record
03:32 surrounding the incident, but I wanna ask you, how you're dealing with that with
03:35 your teammates, your coaches, your family, just how you approach it?
03:40 >> Just take it day by day.
03:42 For me, I'm definitely disappointed in myself, the decision I made.
03:47 I've been disciplined for that.
03:49 And I'm just really looking forward to moving on from that.
03:52 I made a bad decision, but I take full responsibility for what I did.
03:56 And me and the team, just take it day by day.
04:00 Just work to move forward.
04:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]
04:05 >> Hey, Jermaine, another, right here.
04:08 Another person that coach talked about yesterday was Jaylen Walker.
04:11 He worked a lot with the outside linebackers last year as well as you guys.
04:14 But he talked a lot more that Jaylen spent a lot more time with you guys in
04:17 the inside room.
04:18 What have you seen from him and
04:19 what do you think is flexibility playing both inside and outside?
04:24 >> Just a versatile player at the end of the day.
04:26 Person that can play both, a person that we can depend on playing both.
04:32 Whether we can adjust to have time to take him to the outside linebacker room or
04:36 to take him at halftime and put him back in the inside linebacker room.
04:40 He's that type of player and that type of person that we can depend on doing
04:44 multiple things at once.
04:45 Very flexible player, very trustful player, very hard worker.
04:49 And just like I said, just a very flexible player, dependable.
04:54 >> Jermaine, I apologize, I'll ask a follow up on the speaking thing.
04:59 Obviously, it was a few days before the crash.
05:02 There was also a race involved in that.
05:04 That led to this idea that there's this kind of culture around the team of that.
05:09 Can you speak to that?
05:10 Is there that or is it, what is it?
05:13 >> Not no culture by no speed.
05:16 Mines was before everything hit the internet and stuff like that.
05:26 But I definitely don't think it's a culture that we're creating.
05:29 Just some bad choices that we're making right now and
05:34 hopefully the team will get it together.
05:36 >> Yeah, one thing on that,
05:42 has that been to deal with some of the off season distractions?
05:45 How tough has that been as a team to kind of put that behind you and focus on?
05:50 And also coming into this season, you got a chance to do something that had been
05:55 done to win three national championships in a row.
05:57 What's your thoughts on that at history, to be in this position?
06:03 >> About the incident, we're not gonna stay looking behind us.
06:07 We're gonna keep moving forward.
06:08 About the, what you said?
06:13 >> The win three straight national championships,
06:15 to have that chance to do something that hadn't been done in the whole era.
06:18 >> Really, that really hasn't surfaced on the media, but
06:22 that hasn't really been on my mind.
06:24 Really, I take it game by game right now, until we get to that far in the season,
06:29 to worry about the three-peat like you made.
06:31 [BLANK_AUDIO]
06:35 >> Jumaane, is there anybody in particular on the O-line that gives you fits in
06:40 practice?
06:41 >> That should give me fit like problems?
06:43 >> Yeah, that y'all have constant battle.
06:46 >> [LAUGH] >> Nobody.
06:47 >> [LAUGH] >> Fair enough.
06:50 >> [LAUGH] >> The whole line, you know?
06:53 >> [LAUGH] >> Jumaane,
06:57 you talked a little bit about playing linebacker in Georgia.
07:00 This program in particular is known for always having a lead talent at that
07:03 position.
07:04 You played behind a lot of guys that have gone to the NFL and
07:06 really created this university.
07:08 What are some of the things you've been able to learn from those guys earlier in
07:11 your career?
07:12 [BLANK_AUDIO]
07:17 >> One person I was close to here as a freshman was N'Kobe.
07:21 And really, his work ethic, how he approached everything,
07:26 basically says how our work works.
07:30 So that's what I took from him.
07:31 If you work hard, they're eventually gonna show off.
07:35 [BLANK_AUDIO]
07:39 >> Yeah, Jumaane, you stood up here and
07:40 answered some tough questions and taking a lot of accountability today.
07:43 Can you talk about that growth in you?
07:46 I mean, getting used to being in this fishbowl,
07:49 being the face of the defense, the voice of the team.
07:52 Is this something you're comfortable with now?
07:54 Is it something that you have grown into?
07:56 You tell me if you're still growing into that.
07:58 >> Tipping the face of the defense and
08:02 accountability, well, I'm talking about the face of defense first.
08:06 I feel like that's just my personality, who I am.
08:11 I'm loud, energetic, so that's how I fit.
08:15 It fits the linebacker qualities and the characteristics to be a linebacker,
08:20 especially here at the University of Georgia.
08:23 And accountability, it just really gets grown as a person,
08:26 knowing what you were wrong at.
08:27 You can't move past something unless you admit, take credit for it.
08:32 That's what I try to do.
08:33 And you can't dwell on the past.
08:38 If I dwell on the past, what do you think the defense is gonna do?
08:41 I'm the leader of the defense, one of them.
08:43 So you gotta keep moving forward, and that's pretty much it.
08:46 >> Yeah, you touched on being disciplined because of that,
08:51 with the striking arrest.
08:52 What did that discipline look like?
08:54 And this offseason, obviously, going through that, seeing your name in
08:56 headlines, seeing the team culture somewhat being intact.
09:01 What have you learned about yourself through going through this process and
09:04 going through this offseason as difficult as it has been?
09:07 >> Say that again?
09:08 >> Should I do that?
09:08 >> Yeah, just what did the discipline process look like for you after your arrest?
09:12 And then what have you learned about yourself this offseason going through
09:14 that process?
09:15 >> The discipline, I wouldn't never do it again.
09:20 >> [LAUGH]
09:21 >> It was pretty hard.
09:22 Throughout that process, I was hard on myself.
09:26 I didn't believe, I think I made the right decision.
09:30 Just being hard on myself.
09:34 And, yeah, that's really it.
09:39 That's it.
09:42 >> You made a couple of All-American teams last year, that first team.
09:45 What kind of goals do you have this year for your game, personally?
09:49 >> My goal is for the team to do what we came to do, and
09:54 set out to be who we set out to be.
09:59 I ain't really worried about my goals anymore.
10:03 Team B, my coach showed us a lot of players that they had on the third team
10:11 coming into this evening, that went first round.
10:15 So I swiped it off my mind.
10:17 That's really irrelevant right now to me.
10:19 The first team, third team, they don't matter.
10:21 Show me some third team, that went first round.
10:23 So that doesn't mean nothing.
10:25 We're working on the team.
10:28 Team success brings individual success.
10:31 So that's what I'm worried about.
10:32 >> We have time for two more questions.
10:34 >> Jumaane, when you look at this defense,
10:36 people you could have replaced some guys from last year,
10:39 what do you guys need to do over these next few weeks and
10:41 can't to, when you get in the season, be successful?
10:48 >> This is University of Georgia, so we have talent everywhere.
10:50 We have the size, we have the mindset.
10:53 I just feel like as a part that been here, a heart,
10:57 a piece of the defense that been here the last two years,
11:00 I just think we gotta have connection.
11:02 At the end of the day, the connection brings a team together.
11:06 And that's something we're building right now.
11:09 >> Jumaane, what's gonna make this inside linebacker group particularly
11:14 dangerous this year?
11:17 >> Coach you, let him be who we are.
11:21 Let him keep being hard on us.
11:25 Let him keep coaching every little thing that he can.
11:27 Let the linebackers just listen to him.
11:31 He's one of the best in the business.
11:32 >> All right, Jumaane, thank you.
11:34 >> Thanks, Jumaane.
11:35 [BLANK_AUDIO]