‘Special moment’ awaits Columbia’s Channing Tindall as Georgia comes to USC

Channing Tindall made one tackle in his college debut last week, playing a tiny part in Georgia’s 45-0 blanking of Austin Peay.

This week, the former Spring Valley standout comes home as the third-ranked Bulldogs (1-0) take on No. 24 South Carolina (1-0) at Williams-Brice Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

“I think it’s special anytime you go back home and get to play in front of your hometown and your family,” UGA coach Kirby Smart said Monday. “And that’s a special moment for him.”

Tindall was a four-star linebacker recruit who was named The State’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 after recording 190 tackles and nine sacks as the Vikings went 11-2 and made the third round of the Class 5A playoffs. The U.S. Army All-American committed to UGA over USC in December.

“South Carolina is home, but I felt like I had to go somewhere I can grow as a man,” Tindall said at the time. “I love South Carolina, but I felt like I had to get out of South Carolina. Georgia is just that place that checked all the marks for me.”

While 24 Georgians can be found on USC’s roster, Tindall is one of two South Carolinians playing for the Bulldogs. Edward Dimes, Tindall’s father, is from Georgia and grew up rooting for the Dawgs. Yoshiko Dimes, Tindall’s mother, is from Beaufort and attended USC.

“His recruitment was a long process,” Smart said. “He handled it the right way. He communicated throughout. He took a lot of visits. But I think a lot of him as a kid. His family is a great family. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them, recruited them in Columbia.”

Tindall saw time on special teams and defense in Week 1.

“He’s an exciting player,” Smart said. “He’s gotta grow up and mature and learn some things, but as far as a competitor, toughness, effort on the field, he gives that. And he’s really fast, and speed is hard to coach. And he continues to grow as a player, and we’re trying to develop him, because we think he’s really talented.”

This story was originally published September 6, 2018 at 1:43 PM.