Tag: Titans news

Why did Brooklyn native Isaiah Wilson choose to play for Georgia football?

Here is why Brooklyn native Isaiah Wilson, now of the Tennessee Titans, chose to play college ball for Georgia football.

Former Georgia offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson signed with the Bulldogs as a five-star recruit in the class of 2017.

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York and playing high school ball at Poly Prep, Wilson had offers from just about every school in the country.

At 6-foot-7, 350 pounds, Wilson was rated as the nation’s No. 16 overall player in the 2017 recruiting class. Out of the 18 votes on Wilson’s 247 recruiting profile, 16 analysts actually predicted him to play for Michigan.

But Wilson chose the warmer weather, the better competition and the overall more enjoyable lifestyle of attending The University of Georgia, where after three seasons he became a first round draft selection of the Tennessee Titans.

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Wilson remotely sat down with the voice of the Tennessee Titans, Mike Keith, to discuss a plethora of things, including why he chose to play for Georgia instead of staying up north.

“I just felt the SEC is a great place to play football. You have the best competition out there,” Wilson said. “The SEC has a lot of talent every week and you have NFL level coaches that prepare you for the next level and have been in the league and been through those systems and understand what’s required of you at the next level.

And their success rate, just with their players and helping them succeed and get to the next level, not only as football players but as men. It’s definitely what I looked at in my decision to go down there and play for Georgia.”

On what he improved most on during his time at Georgia, Wilson said it was the technique that Sam Pittman and the UGA coaching staff helped him to develop.

“I came from a private school in Brooklyn, New York, a really small school. And we had great coaches for that environment but they didn’t necessarily coach the technique I was learning in college. Picking up that technique was probably the biggest transition for me.”

And here’s Wilson’s tweet announcing his commitment to the G.

How former Georgia OT Isaiah Wilson got the nickname ‘Panda’

How did former Georgia football OT Isaiah Wilson, now of the Tennessee Titans, receive his nickname “Panda?”

Former Georgia offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson signed with the Bulldogs as a five-star recruit in the class of 2017 out of Brooklyn, New York.

Fast forward three years later, and the 6-foot-7, 350 pound tackle is a first round selection of the Tennessee Titans at the 2020 NFL Draft.

A few days after being drafted, Wilson remotely sat down with the voice of the Tennessee Titans, Mike Keith, to partake in a virtual interview, really diving into Wilson as a person and his journey to becoming a first round draft pick.

One of the questions that Keith asked Wilson was where he got his nickname from. As seen on his social media, Wilson goes by the nickname “Panda.”

The story behind that can be viewed below, starting at the 7:35 mark.

Wilson stated that it was actually running back prospect (at the time) DeeJay Dallas who gave him that nickname during a high school training camp.

“I was sitting down Indian style, because I’m a big guy and it stretches out my hips…

He walked over, and he was like, ‘you’re just a big panda.’ It stuck. Everyone kind of went with it.”

Dallas was a 4-star running back recruit out of Glynn Academy in Brunswick, Georgia in the class  of 2017. If you remember, Dallas actually committed to Georgia while Mark Richt was still head coach. He de-committed in December of 2015 following Richt’s firing, but followed Richt to Miami. Dallas was recently picked in the fourth round of the 2020 draft by Seattle.

I recommend watching the video in full, as Wilson discusses a lot more than where his nickname came from.

UGA great Tavarres King has helping hand in Berry College standout signing UDFA contract

Former Georgia football WR Tavarres King had a helping hand in Berry College WR Mason Kinsey signing a UDFA deal with the Tennessee Titans.

Following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft, Berry College (Rome, Ga) wide receiver Mason Kinsey signed a free agent deal with the Tennessee Titans. Kinsey is the only Division III player in 2020 to sign as a free agent and the first Vikings player in history to sign with an NFL team.

The Habersham Central High (Mt. Airy, Ga) product claimed his third consecutive All-Conference first-team honor and was named a D-III third-team All-American. The Demorest, Ga. native holds program records in nearly every receiving category, finishing his career with a Southern Athletic Association record 3,343 receiving yards and 50 receiving touchdowns. The 6-foot, 195-pound wideout led Berry to a 9-2 record and the Vikings’ fourth consecutive conference championship. For his efforts, Kinsey received an invitation to the prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl, the only D-III player selected.

During his freshman year in high school, due to a lack of reps, Kinsey was about to give up on football and focus on basketball. Georgia wide receiver Tavarres King, then a senior, stepped into the picture.

King persuaded Kinsey he had a future in football and should transition from running back to receiver. King, a former Habersham Central 4-star recruit, Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year and one of the SEC’s top receivers, saw something in Kinsey and proceeded to lend his advice and backing.

With King’s guidance and support, Kinsey went on to become a two-time all-region selection and Habersham Central’s second all-time leading receiver behind King. He declined a preferred walk-on offer to Mercer and enrolled in Berry to pursue a sports management degree and an opportunity to play football.

“He’s like my big brother and I love him to death,” Kinsey told Forbes.com of his relationship with King. “He has really helped me out and I definitely would not be the player I am today without him. I give a lot of props to him.”

Kinsey’s desire and hunger to put in the work makes him stand out and King took ealy notice of his work ethic.

“That’s what I love about Mason,” King told Forbes.com. “He is real hungry, real eager to learn and a hard-working kid.”

During his tenure at the University of Georgia, King caught 135 passes for 2,602 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns, good for ninth in career receptions, fourth in career yardage and third in career receiving touchdowns. A former fifth-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos, King played six years in the NFL for five teams, with his last stop in Minnesota in 2018.  King knows the NFL scouting system.

“I would tell him all the time, if you are good, they will find you,” said King. “It’s all about making plays and making the most of his opportunities. Mason has done that to this point and I expect him to continue to do that.”

Read Forbes’ story on King and Kinsey here.

NFL comparisons for Titans OT Isaiah Wilson out of Georgia

We list NFL comparisons for former Georgia football and now Tennessee Titans OT Isaiah Wilson.

The Tennessee Titans selected Georgia OT Isaiah Wilson with the 29th pick in the first-round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Wilson was an All-American as a freshman right tackle at Georgia and was bothered by injuries in his sophomore season. At 6-foot-7 340 pounds, Wilson is one of the largest tackles in this years draft.

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote:

“Big, broad right tackle prospect with outstanding physical traits and above-average potential.”

To get an idea on how Wilson will preform at the NFL level, let’s look at two pros that Wilson’s game most resembles.

1. Demar Dotson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dotson (6’9″, 315 lbs) is one of the largest tackles in the NFL, but what resembles Wilson the most is his length. Both Wilson and Dotson are able to use their length to keep the pocket clean for their quarterbacks by forcing rushers out wide. 

2. Lane Johnson – Philadelphia Eagles

During Wilson’s career at Georgia, he excelled in run-blocking because of his footwork at his size. One of the best run-blocking tackles in the NFL, Johnson uses his footwork to turn the edge defenders which seals the gap and he also does a great job advancing to the second-level.

The Titans’ offensive line was already one of the best units in the NFL and after drafting Wilson, that trend should continue for years to come.

7 Georgia Bulldogs taken in CBSSports’ full NFL mock draft

CBS Sports released a full NFL mock draft that included 7 Georgia football players being taken.

Most NFL mock drafts that we’ve seen over the past couple of months have had 2-3 Georgia football players going in the first round.

However, in CBS Sports’ most recent 7-round mock draft, the outlet has just one Dawg taken in the first round, and that’s left tackle Andrew Thomas.

Analyst Chris Trapasso projects the New York Jets to take Thomas with the No. 11 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which is currently scheduled for April 23 in Las Vegas.

On Thomas, Trapasso wrote:

Jets GM Joe Douglas knows how vital an offensive line is after his time in Philadelphia. Thomas was outstanding the two seasons at Georgia and has length for days.

Trapasso has Thomas ranked as the 15th overall player in the draft class and 4th ranked offensive tackle.

In total, Trapasso has seven Georgia players going in the draft.

Round 2:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Blown call by officials in Week 8 may have helped Titans get to the playoffs

If not for a missed call in the Bucs-Titans game back in Week 8, Tennessee might not have made it to the postseason.

The Tennessee Titans are looking like a true Super Bowl contender today. After stunning the New England Patriots on the road last weekend in the Wild-Card round, the Titans went into Baltimore last night and downed the 14-2 Ravens, 28-12, to advance to the AFC Championship Game.

What’s most surprising of all perhaps is that the Titans just barely got into the playoffs. It took until the final game of the regular season for them to secure the final wild card spot, finishing the year with a record of 9-7.

But, let’s not forget that one of those wins came amid a controversial call all the way back in Week 8 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveled to Tennessee. With the score 27-23 in favor of the Titans, Tennessee lined up for a 46-yard field goal with just under four minutes to play. Instead of kicking it, holder and punter Brett Kern took off for the first down, but was lit up by Bucs linebacker Devin White.

The ball comes loose and Bucs safety Andrew Adams takes it the other way for the touchdown. But, the officials called Kern down by contact, thus the touchdown was negated. What would’ve been a game-changing play for the Bucs that would’ve put them ahead late in the fourth quarter, instead resulted in a turnover on downs. The Titans would go on to win the game, pulling their record to 4-4 instead of 3-5.

Tennessee could’ve still gone to make the playoffs even if they had lost that game, but you have to imagine it would’ve made things all the more difficult for them.

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