Amarius Mims' "Time Has Come"

Amarius Mims' Georgia career did not start the way he expected it to, but his time in the spotlight his finally come.

Offensive lineman Amarius Mims arrived at Georgia with outsized expectations befitting his prep profile as the top-rated player in Georgia and eighth-ranked player in the nation in the 2021 recruiting class. When those expectations were not immediately fulfilled, Mims grew frustrated to the point that he even briefly entered the NCAA transfer portal in the middle of Georgia’s 2022 spring practices before ultimately finding his way back to the program. This spring, after a 2022 season that saw him earn a spot in Georgia’s talented offensive tackle rotation, Mims is resolved to take the next logical step in his career and establish himself as a premier player on Georgia’s offensive line. On Thursday, Mims met with the media to discuss his unique journey and outlook for the 2023 season.

During the course of the interview, Mims spoke at length about how the playing experience he gained as part of Georgia’s offensive tackle rotation in 2022 helped him grow and develop as a player.

“I’ll say really, my improvement came from basically sitting back and watching the guys in front of me. The relationship I had with Broderick (Jones), of course, Jamaree (Salyer), Warren (McClendon), all of those guys. Just watching them and them teaching me the things that I know now, it allowed me to grow in a lot of areas on and off the field.”

At 6-foot-7, 330 pounds, size and physicality have never been an issue for Mims at any point during his Georgia career, so when pushed to identify the area in which he has grown the most since he rejoined the Georgia program after his week-long flirtation with the transfer portal last April, Mims did not hesitate in his response.

Amarius Mims Takes on TCU in the National Title Game / Credit - Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

“Last year I grew the most mentally. You can look at me kind of and tell that I’m a pretty physical guy, but football is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical in my opinion, so I had to grow more mentally than physically.”

The departure of both starting offensive tackles from Georgia’s 2022 national championship team has created an opportunity for returning players to step up and fill the void left behind by Broderick Jones and Warren McClendon - who did not give up a single sack between them in 2022 - a fact that Mims is acutely aware of.

“It’s just crazy because time really flies. I remember coming in as a freshman and not knowing what basic plays were, to now, fast-forward two-and-a-half years later I’ve got a chance to do what they were doing. Really, for me, it’s just seeing my progress and now I’ve got the opportunity in front of me to do what they’re doing.”

Not only is Mims of the opportunity in front of him, but he is also confident in his ability to take advantage of that opportunity and meet the lofty expectations that accompanied his arrival in Athens.

“The time has come. I feel like it’s my time. They are depending on me, and I feel like I can do it.”

Amarius Mim’s Georgia career did not begin the way he expected it to, but through hard work and persistent determination, he has put himself in position to finish his career by accomplishing all of the goals he initially set for his collegiate career. His time is now.