Spring Break
Small-town safety Bacarri Rambo making big time plays
TYLER ESTEP
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: First & Goal
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In the case of Bacarri Rambo, Georgia's freshman safety with the tough-as-nails name, you would think it would be even more so.
In sporadic playing time, Rambo has two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) for the Bulldogs, tied for the team lead. When he goes home to Donalsonville (pop. 3,000), they're just proud to know him.
"The people back home, they don't really care about the plays," Rambo said.
"They just know that I play for Georgia and they're excited. People that I grew up with, they haven't ever played with somebody that went [to a Division I school] or went to Georgia. So they get very excited that they know someone and they get around someone that's playing college football. Making plays and stuff, I know they're going to be asking autographs and this and that, but I love everybody."
As a standout at Seminole County High School in extreme southwest Georgia, Rambo did it all, on both sides of the ball. He was the leader of the Indians' option offense at quarterback, played linebacker and returned kicks. He excelled at everything.
Donalsonville is about a 10 minute drive from both Florida and Alabama. But come college football Saturdays, there's no question of allegiance.
"Everybody's watching the Dogs every Saturday and watching to see how much playing time he gets and get excited by it, talk about it," said Seminole County football coach Alan Ingram.
"Having kids out of a small school go out and play, that's a big thing for the community. It brings a little bit of excitement, and a little bit of recognition to the community. Everybody's tickled to death and proud of him. He's a good kid. He represents the school and the program here, and the community, in a great way."
Technically, this is Georgia's homecoming week, as they get ready to host Tennessee Tech on Saturday.
But with a Georgia bye week before Florida, Rambo got the chance to go home for the first time since the Bulldogs started camp this summer.
"I've never been away from home that long," he said.
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For Rambo, this season seems like it's been a long time in the making.
In taking a redshirt last year (affording him the opportunity to play scout team quarterback for Florida and Georgia Tech, who run similar offenses to what he did in high school), Rambo found himself in an unfamiliar position - on the bench in the fall.
"It really brought me down, because I've been playing football since I was like four," Rambo said. "And I've never sat out a day in my life, and then my freshman year I was sitting out. It was really tough but I just stayed with it and fought, and it got me here to this point."
Ingram praised Rambo's work ethic, citing that he "never missed a practice for any reason" during his four years at Seminole County. It was tough for an all-everything superstar to not participating in games at all, much less playing seemingly every position.
"But he's very intelligent," said Georgia safety Bryan Evans, who's adopted Rambo as a "little brother." "And he made the most of it. He listens. And it shows on the field when he plays."
It's still early in Rambo's Georgia career, but the kid from rural Georgia is already showing why he was one of the most highly-recruited talents in the South.
"I've been dreaming of catching interceptions and scoring since I was a little boy," he said. "I plan on having more than that. It's very exciting just playing here at Georgia, feeling the team working, the team's brotherhood, the coaching staff showing you love. It's very exciting and I'm blessed to be here."
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Rambo didn't play much in the Bulldogs' last game against Florida, with Evans, a senior, getting most of the reps.
There's been some clamoring to give him and some of the other younger guys more time in a struggling secondary. Rambo will likely get plenty of action against a FCS opponent Saturday, continuing his grooming as the Georgia safety of the future.
"He's earned playing time, he's playing well," said Georgia coach Mark Richt. "And he's continuing to practice well. I don't think he would have to start to say that [preparing him for next season] was happening. He's playing plenty to help us be ready next year."
And, if you ask Rambo's high school coach, that could be one hell of a year.
"I predicted when he left here that if they played him over there on defense and he got time on the field, had two or three years starting, my prediction was that he's going to beat [Jake Scott's school career interception record of 16] there," Ingram said. "He's going to have a great opportunity, a great chance to beat that thing. He's got two already and darn near had two more."
It appears Rambo will get that playing time. Evans will be gone after this season, and the 6-foot, 210-pounder has seemingly already penciled his name in to fill the void.
"He has all the potential in the world," Evans said. "He's already pretty big to be a redshirt freshman You can only get bigger and faster. He loves contact, hopefully he'll be like another [former Georgia hard-hitting safeties Greg] Blue or [Thomas Davis]. He has that nose for the ball. It's going to be fun watching him."
Especially in Donalsonville.
