Tate Ratledge Talks Through His Development at Georgia
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00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:06 >> Yeah, Coach Mark mentioned yesterday some multiple football team play a lot,
00:10 play a little even.
00:11 I guess explain the difference when you're uncovered versus when you are, and
00:15 how do you go about practicing both against a team that might give you both?
00:18 >> For me, the biggest thing is recognizing movement when I'm uncovered.
00:22 Cuz if I'm, I'm usually have a direct shot to the backer, but
00:25 if we're playing a team that moves, I gotta recognize movement, bump back, or
00:28 help a tackle or center.
00:30 And covered, it's more technique, just man on combos and stuff like that.
00:35 So this week, I'm definitely preparing more for
00:38 helping out more than being the main one on the combo.
00:41 >> Tate, we talked to Marius last week.
00:45 How much development have you seen from him over the last year once he got in
00:48 the mix and just what he's shown getting ready for this season?
00:52 >> A lot of growth from him.
00:54 He's shown a tremendous amount of effort to mature, to really,
00:58 to step into that role as our starting tackle.
01:00 And I think he's really taking it with a full head of steam and
01:02 he's taking it and ran with it.
01:03 >> You're stepping into, it feels like the third year alongside Cedric Van Praan.
01:18 I mean, what has it been like,
01:19 your two, both of your guys' relationship working together for so long?
01:23 >> I say on the field, I have more trust in Ced than I've ever had next to anybody
01:29 I've played with.
01:30 Off the field, me and him are like brothers.
01:32 We are always together, always hanging out, always watching film together.
01:36 So me and him have definitely built a special bond over the past three,
01:40 four years that we've been here.
01:40 >> You used the word trust there with Ced, and talking Carson,
01:46 how has the trust building process been for the offense through fall camp?
01:52 And what gives you all confidence in him going into the season?
01:54 >> I think that we learned that we have to have confidence in ourselves first off,
02:01 with no matter who's on the field with us, that without us,
02:04 the things don't really roll.
02:06 And with Carson being back there, just the progression of being with him since spring
02:10 and going into fall camp and taking more reps and more reps.
02:12 And him changing protections and him really taking control of the offense has
02:16 really helped us with having trust in him behind us.
02:18 [BLANK_AUDIO]
02:23 >> I think as early as your freshman year of high school, you're playing tight end.
02:27 Then you moved to tackle,
02:28 then you get to college as an all American high school tackle.
02:30 You moved to guard.
02:32 What was the whole transition like throughout your career?
02:36 As you kept getting closer to the ball?
02:38 >> Well, when I started off at tight end, I was a little lighter than I am now.
02:41 I was probably about 225, so I could move a little bit better.
02:44 But as I got here and progressed playing tackle through high school,
02:47 I learned I wasn't a tackle pretty quick going against guys like Jermaine Johnson,
02:51 Adam Anderson.
02:52 I was sitting here as a freshman thinking, what am I doing out here?
02:54 Just getting worked every day on the edge.
02:56 And then one day, the coach came up to me and said,
02:58 I think you've worked best at guard.
02:59 And I've loved being in there ever since.
03:02 >> Tate, how far do you feel like you've come over the last year,
03:07 having last season under your belt after that injury a couple years ago?
03:10 And how much more confidence do you have in yourself,
03:13 having played and the progress you've made?
03:16 >> I think confidence is the key word in that.
03:17 I think I'm a lot more confident in my abilities.
03:20 Last year going into the season,
03:21 I feel like I definitely had some doubts in myself and my game.
03:24 And since then, I've just had time to work on that and
03:27 get more comfortable in my position and the guys around me.
03:29 >> As someone who's been a veteran in this team,
03:34 what was something you've worked on the most this offseason,
03:37 given you've started before?
03:38 You've won a national championship as a starter,
03:41 now fully confident in that foot coming off of it?
03:44 >> Really the biggest thing I've worked on is trying to become more of a vocal
03:47 leader on the team, which has always been not one of my strong things.
03:51 I've never been a big vocal guy.
03:52 So I've been challenged to kind of step up into that role and kind of speak up more.
03:56 And not just let Ced be the leader of our offensive lineman,
03:58 kind of have his back and things, and kind of step out and say things more.
04:01 But technique wise, it's just been better steps, better hand placement,
04:05 hat placement, just understanding the game more,
04:07 trying to see things before they happen.
04:13 >> Does co-hosting a podcast help you at all be more vocal?
04:15 >> I feel like, maybe, maybe not.
04:20 It definitely makes me more comfortable in situations like this.
04:22 When I first got here in front of the camera, I was like, I hated it.
04:25 But now I'm definitely more comfortable around it.
04:27 But I think it's helped me better talking wise and, yes,
04:30 speaking up in front of a large group of people.
04:32 >> We've heard conflicting things about honoring Devin in this game.
04:38 I'm just wondering, is it a thing that you guys wanna unveil some kind of secret?
04:42 Or you guys literally still trying to figure out kinda how you wanna do that?
04:47 >> I think we're still trying to figure out what we wanna do, but
04:49 we definitely wanna do something throughout the season.
04:51 Just because he's a big part of our offensive lines, why and
04:54 why we do things, and why we play like we play.
04:55 >> Kirby Smart's pretty well known for his pregame speeches.
05:05 What's the key to a good Kirby Smart pregame speech?
05:07 >> Just the juice he brings.
05:11 I mean, you could be asleep and then listen to one of those pregame speeches,
05:15 you're ready to run through a wall.
05:16 But I don't think it's really any particular thing.
05:19 He just knows how to get us going.
05:20 >> I wanted to ask about Coach Searle specifically.
05:25 I mean, obviously you've worked with a couple guys in your time here, but
05:28 what has he brought to your game that's really made you the player that you are
05:32 now?
05:32 >> A worker's mentality.
05:34 Coming to practice every day,
05:36 knowing that we have a standard to set as an offensive line.
05:38 And coming to set that every day.
05:41 He's gonna let us know when we're not up to that standard,
05:44 he's gonna let us know when we are.
05:45 So he's definitely brought a come to work to work every day, really.
05:49 Just come in, head down and go to work every day kind of thing.
05:54 >> I don't know what the availability is for some of these beamed up running backs,
05:59 but you think Cash Jones is excited about the possibility of
06:02 getting some touches Saturday?
06:04 >> I know he is.
06:05 I think that Cash has done a great job throughout fall camp of just taking reps
06:10 and just building trust with everybody around him,
06:13 knowing that he's gonna do the right thing when we need him to.
06:15 But I think our offense line especially has trust in whoever's behind us.
06:20 >> We touched on the podcast a little bit there, but
06:31 obviously you're now hosting it with Zion and stuff like that.
06:34 I mean, what has that been like to get to work with him now and
06:37 especially going through the season?
06:38 Kind of like what you got to do with, man, why is his name escaping me?
06:43 Ryland, not Ryland.
06:45 Yeah, Ryland.
06:46 What was it like working with Ryland, obviously, and now getting to work with
06:49 Zion?
06:50 >> Working with Cody was great.
06:52 I have a lot of respect for him and how he handled his business and
06:55 how he went about that podcast.
06:56 He really loved it and really took charge of that and kind of took its way.
07:01 But me and Zelo had a bond before that podcast, so I think him coming on there
07:05 kind of just strengthened that bond and we were a perfect fit for
07:07 each other just to talk with each other.
07:09 >> Tate, getting ready for this season, what have you seen from y'all's
07:13 defensive line going up against them every day?
07:16 What sort of stands out to you about this group of defensive linemen?
07:20 >> They're hard workers, they're tough, they come to work,
07:23 they come to practice every day.
07:24 And if we don't come with our best foot forward,
07:26 then we know that we're not gonna have a great day with them in front of us.
07:28 Which is the beauty of things, if we get them better, they get us better.
07:32 So I love going against those guys every day.
07:33 [BLANK_AUDIO]
07:42 >> I guess what's the key, or you had a bunch of NFL guys come through here,
07:45 that defensive tackle position, guys that you were gonna give up against every day
07:48 in practice.
07:49 What was the biggest takeaway that you learned during practice going against
07:53 some of those guys?
07:54 >> When I first stepped into that role of going against them every day,
07:58 it's a big realization is either get better or get your butt kicked every day.
08:03 In which they, all those guys, from JD, Vontae, Trayvon to JC,
08:08 all helped me develop into the player I am today.
08:11 Going against them every day was the biggest blessing to me being here,
08:13 just knowing that I'm going against the best every day.
08:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]
08:19 >> I wanted to ask about some of the younger guys on the team that are coming in,
08:22 like Monroe, Bo, and Joshua Miller, a few of those guys.
08:25 What have you seen from them as they've kind of made their way through summer,
08:29 spring, and now fall?
08:31 >> A lot of growth.
08:33 They come in as freshmen, don't really know their place.
08:36 But I think our offense line does a really good job of embracing people coming in.
08:40 Monroe's been here since January, so
08:41 I've seen a lot of growth out of him from when he first got here,
08:43 from spring ball to fall camp.
08:45 Josh and Bo have just been growing, knowing the playbook, knowing the plays,
08:49 kind of getting that physicality about him that's needed to play college football.
08:53 And you've definitely seen a lot of that progress from when they first started.
08:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]
09:03 >> I know it's a little bit more on the opposite side of you, but
09:05 I mean, we've been hearing a lot of talk on obviously on that left tackle position
09:09 between Austin Blasky, Ernest Green.
09:11 I mean, what have you seen from those guys specifically that have really stood out,
09:15 especially as they battle for that left tackle starting spot?
09:17 >> Both of those guys are great talents out there.
09:21 They both do really well in space, in my opinion.
09:23 They both work extremely hard.
09:24 They're both really athletic.
09:25 They both can run block really well.
09:28 I think both of them are really extremely good players.
09:30 >> We have time for two more questions.
09:33 >> Just to keep asking you, every single player on the offensive line you've played
09:39 with, last one I haven't really asked about is Xavier Trust.
09:42 I mean, obviously, how much trust do you have on him helping out that left side,
09:46 especially from the guard position,
09:47 when you both were guys that came in here as tackles?
09:50 >> All the trust I can have in somebody.
09:53 I've been playing next to him for all of last year and last spring.
09:57 And I think over that time, you can't really function if you don't have the trust
10:02 in all the guys across your line.
10:03 So trust is a big thing for us in playing together as a unit.
10:06 So I have full trust in everybody that's next to me.
10:09 >> Yeah, a lot of, I don't know if it's standard in other college football
10:15 programs, but other college or football environments,
10:18 offensive linemen, hang off, it's alignment, quarterbacks hang with quarterbacks.
10:21 I hear a lot of you guys talk about your best friends being in other different
10:24 positions.
10:25 What's the key to kind of developing those relationships in this building?
10:28 >> I think it's just a culture we've set here.
10:32 It's not just having clicks in the locker room, everybody's one tight knit
10:36 brotherhood.
10:37 And one of my best friends off the field is Carson Beck.
10:40 I lived with him for two years.
10:41 And it's kind of just the guys you come in with, you get to know more than anybody.
10:45 And it's accepting other people into those groups and
10:47 kind of getting to know them and getting to know their story.
10:49 So you have more of a reason to play for on Saturday than just yourself.
10:53 You're playing for the guy next to you and you know why they're playing.
10:56 >> Thank you.
10:56 >> Thanks, Dave.
10:57 >> Yep.
10:57 [BLANK_AUDIO]