ATHENS – Nazir Stackhouse could talk all day about his “side hobby.” That’d be TikTok.
A 6-foot-3, 320-pound defensive tackle for Georgia, Stackhouse has nearly 36,000 followers on the new-age, social-media platform that describes itself as “a short-form video hosting service.” Stackhouse’s feed on TikTok -- @stackhouse78 – is chocked full of videos that provide an entertaining behind-the-scenes look at life as an athlete at a Power 5 college football program.
But as Stackhouse stood before reporters this week for the first time in his career at a post-practice interview, he did so as a five-game starter on Georgia’s defensive line and a budding leader for the Bulldogs’ defense. So, he was somewhat hesitant to discuss what he does as a pastime away from the football field.
In fact, Stackhouse revealed that he operates weekly under a directive from defensive line coach Tray Scott that he can play around on TikTok all he wants, but only as long as he’s getting his work done in the classroom and on the field and doesn’t reveal things about Georgia’s football program that coach Kirby Smart might deem a violation of privacy.
“They stress that a lot,” Stackhouse said of UGA. “I’m not going to say any names, but we had a player post something on TikTok, and coach Smart wasn’t too happy about it. Blah-blah-blah, he mentioned it to the team and that kind of came over to me. So, I don’t really post too much stuff that goes on behind closed doors. That’s supposed to be confidential to the team. After that, I was like, ‘OK, this is what he doesn’t want, so I’ll stay away from it.’ But I still like to have fun with it.”
Stackhouse’s parody videos of players’ interactions with coaches are hilarious. In one video, he plays tennis with members of Georgia’s women’s team, who annihilated him at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. In another, he joins the equestrian team for some high-caliber equitation.
Mostly, Stackhouse makes fun of himself. Like when he reenacts himself pretending not to be tired after running 50-yard sprints, or running in place because he doesn’t know where he’s supposed to be going, or trying to stay awake in a position meeting on three hours of sleep.
Stackhouse chronicles himself playing golf for the first time, playing basketball and jumping off the high dive at UGA’s Gabrielson Natatorium. He posts about always being mistaken for former teammates Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt.
But there’s also a good bit of football included, too. The behind-the-scenes stuff is the best. He often posts about eating at “Bones,” the in-house restaurant for football players at the Butts-Mehre football complex. He’s done videos about going through the “Dawg Walk,” about seeing his national championship ring for the first time and what life is like as a Division I athlete who has to get up very early every morning to attend classes before engaging in rigorous football training all afternoon and into the evening.
“It’s just something I enjoy doing,” said Stackhouse, a junior from Stone Mountain. “Some people do it for the views and likes and stuff. That’s something that comes along with it. But for me, it actually entertains me to watch my videos. It makes me giggle a lot more than it does my teammates.”
This time of year, 100% of Stackhouse’s focus is on playing defensive line for the Bulldogs. After playing sporadically as a reserve behind the likes of Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt and Jalen Carter, Stackhouse has stepped to the forefront on Georgia’s defensive line. He has started every game this season and ranks second among down linemen with six tackles, four quarterback pressures and a tackle for loss.
And now, with the All-American Carter sidelined for several weeks with a sprained knee, Stackhouse is going to be asked to play even more. They’re expected to be challenged Saturday when Auburn comes to Sanford Stadium aiming to run the ball right at them with running backs Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter.
“All we can do is keep going and hope he gets better soon,” Stackhouse said of Carter’s absence. “It’s a big challenge for me and Z-Lo (Zion Logue), Tramel Walthour, Tyrion Dawkins, Bear Alexander. We’re used to playing with vets like Jalen, but now it’s our time to get out there and work. All we can think about is executing our plays, trusting the process, trusting what coach Scott puts on the field for us.”
Asked about Stackhouse’s TikTok presence two weeks ago, Smart insisted he knew nothing about it. But Stackhouse knows better.
“Kirby doesn’t follow me on TikTok, but his son Drew (Andrew) does follow me,” Stackhouse said. “Whenever he gets a little spill of whatever I’m posting, he always shows Kirby.”
No, Smart is more interested in Stackhouse the nose guard, who he needs to hold ground in the middle of Georgia’s defense.
Smart likes that guy.
“He spent a lot of time down there (with the scout team) and grew and got better,” Smart said this week. “When he first got here, his block recognition, his ability to play blocks, and strike blocks is not anywhere near where it is now. I think Tray Scott has done an incredible job with Naz of developing him.”
“It’s very similar progression to some of those other guys that we have had. He just gets better with each year. He’s smarter and wiser. The defensive line is not a position that you just walk in and play. There’s a lot of things that can happen to you when you play inside. If they happen enough times, you figure it out. It’s not just ability, it’s recognition of plays, back-blocks, and pullers. He does a really good job now of playing that. He’s been a big part of our success inside.”
In the meantime, Stackhouse has a goal of reaching 50,000 views on his TikTok. He said he is in the planning stages of many more videos that he insists his followers won’t want to miss.
For now, though, they’ll have to wait.
“I feel like that will be after the postseason, after the playoffs,” Stackhouse said. “I don’t want to be too distracted by TikTok content. I try to pick a time in the day that I can make a video that I’ll post later. So, I actually have some stuff with other sports going on. It’s just not time to post it yet.”
All in due time.
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