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MIAMI – Georgia Bulldogs tight end John Fitzpatrick discusses COVID logs with the game and the holiday season.
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Q. John, tell me about this whole COVID situation. Were you able to go home and spend some time with the family over the Christmas season? Has it changed anything about that? Are you even going to see your family this week?
JOHN FITZPATRICK: Yes, I could go home and see my family. Not my extended family. We stayed in Atlanta. But I was with my four sisters, mom and dad and my brother-in-law, my little niece, and yes, we had a great Christmas and everything.
Some of my family is coming to Miami the next day or so I think. I know Shannon, my brother-in-law Joey, and my little niece Mary are staying at home in Alpharetta. You will be watching on TV.
Q. How does this bowl experience compare to the Sugars and I think the Peach last year in terms of the current COVID situation outside of the practice field?
JOHN FITZPATRICK: Do you like the experience outside of practice?
Q. Yes, your time the other 21 hours of the day or whatever.
JOHN FITZPATRICK: Yeah, I’ve spent a lot of time in the hotel. We have a small playroom and watch movies. I think on the first day, on the first evening, we went to dinner as a team on this boat and circled Biscayne Bay, as I think it’s called. Otherwise just watch TV, watch films, just hang out with your teammates in the hotel.
Q. Obviously, one of your roles on this team is a speaker. Now that you are here many of us, many of the college football world, certainly fans, think that it is for granted that you are here, college football
Game start. There are only four teams. Everything is in front of you. As the team spokesperson, have you felt a little bit in doubt since the Alabama game? I can only imagine that you are extremely motivated for a trophy that may be only two games away.
JOHN FITZPATRICK: Yes, you are right. Maybe a bit of a doubt, but we just used that as a motivation. We took the weeks after Alabama to get better, get better at things we can work on, and then we shifted our focus to Michigan. Yes, we are hungry. We’re excited and ready for Friday.
Q. We’ve talked to Coach Smart all summer and he talked about the skull meetings you had together and your why. What’s your why
JOHN FITZPATRICK: My why for me is my family, my mom and my dad. All my life they have given me opportunities to be successful. They did everything for me, and I want to take my opportunity here in Georgia to give them back in every possible way. I want to make my mom and dad proud, make my four sisters proud, my brother-in-law and my little niece and my extended family. Yes.
Q. It looks like the big guys up front could use some help blocking Aidan Hutchinson. What did you see of him and are you ready to look for it in a physical fight in the trenches?
JOHN FITZPATRICK: Yeah, 97 is a great player. I’m looking forward to the challenge against him. He is physically strong. He sets the edge well. It’ll be a challenge as Jamari and McClendon face him.
