Kirby Smart told Tommy Tremble he doesn’t like to offer Georgia legacies. Too much pressure. Too much hype. They better be worth it.
Tremble was.
It was a touching moment for his family this weekend in Athens.
“I did not see this coming,” his father Greg Tremble said. “I know that Tom enjoys the game of football and he played well last year. But the last three or four weeks has been amazing all the things that have happened to him.”
Tremble played at Georgia in the early 90s. The former soccer player became a standout defensive back at Warner Robins. He started the bulk of the 1992 and 1993 seasons for the Bulldogs.
When they left Smart’s office with that offer in hand, there’s no real way to describe what that meant to a Bulldog father and a son that just got his own seal of approval from UGA.
“My son said something to me that was touching when we left Kirby’s office,” Greg Tremble said. “He said he almost wanted to cry during that time. We hugged each other afterward and came back home just so very proud of him.”
“This is just so very amazing for this to happen to my son.”
The Trembles have made the trip to Athenstown extensively while Tremble was coming up. That was many times before he was ever rated as a 3-star tight end.
“This time when we went to Athens it didn’t have a thing to do with me or going to see the Bulldogs play,” Greg Tremble said. ‘That’s what Kirby kept telling us. That trip we took this weekend was all about my son. I was very happy for him.”
Tremble made it clear that he wanted his son to find that right feeling. He wanted him to focus on his academics. That was something he had to work for as a Prop 48 signee at Georgia. He had to go to Northeast Oklahoma first on his way to Athens.
The son is as smart as a whip. He has Ivy League offers, too. Vanderbilt has even offered.
“I want to study history or political science,” Tommy Tremble said. “Hopefully to major in some type of law later on in college.”
The former Bulldogs said he will encourage his son to compare the feelings he gets with other schools going forward. They need to do their research.
Don’t expect a hasty decision. But.
There’s also the obvious point.
“We go back every year for G-day and he’s been to Georgia a million times,” Greg Tremble said. “For Kirby to bring us in the office and to offer him to come up there and play for him to get the chance to be a Bulldog was something. For that to be real? That’s something that can really happen? I mean, come on.”
The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder said it was a powerful moment for both of them.
Tommy Tremble’s moment at UGA
Tremble is rated by 247sports as the nation’s No. 25 tight end for 2018. He’s a 3-star recruit at this time, but this is all so very new to him.
He’s watched his recruiting soar after he attended Nike’s Atlanta “The Opening” regional on March 26.
Tremble measured 6-foot-4 and weighed 225 pounds that day. He also clocked a 4.63 laser time in the 40 on a day where others harped about their cleat selection and a slow track.
“He has really good hands and can move like a receiver,” Greg Tremble said. “He’s unique because of his size and his speed at tight end. Generally, tight ends are a little heavier and cannot move like him. They can put him in tight or split him out wide. He can run like a wide receiver.”
To put that in perspective, Tremble timed faster than two of Georgia’s biggest targets at receiver at The Opening that day. He also came through with a 35.8-inch vertical jump and a 4.2 showing in the short shuttle.
That effort was the 18th-fastest that day. There wasn’t a single player who weighed less than 208 pounds that bettered what Tremble timed in the short shuttle. He also had the best time of anyone who was measured in at 6 feet, 3 inches and above.
“I think the college coaches see me as a tight end/athlete,” Tremble said. “Being as big as I am I will be able to run pretty fast. I was talking to Kirby Smart and he said that I could be real valuable early on with special teams. Georgia sees me as a pretty good fit at tight end and they can use me in other ways if they want to.”
Fresno State was the first of his 14 offers. Georgia was the latest. Notre Dame has also jumped into the picture.
“I’m thinking either toward the end of the summer with my decision,” Tremble said. “Or the beginning of the season. If I can’t decide by then, it will be right after the end of my senior season.”
His father played at UGA. But he also played in the NFL. That was 11 games with the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia. Eagles.
Tremble even tackled Herschel Walker on a kickoff return in the NFL. That’s how they met.
The situation calls for a natural question: Did the son aspire to grow up to be just like Dad at Georgia? Or did the NFL dream eclipse that?
“When I said Georgia was a dream it meant I’ve been a Georgia fan my entire life,” Tommy Tremble said. “My Dad used to tell me when I was little when we would go to the game that if I worked hard enough then I would be able to play in this stadium and all that. When that happened and I got the offer, I was very emotional at that time. I couldn’t believe that all the hard work my Dad said did really pay off. I will now have the chance to play in that stadium.”
Will Georgia have a great shot at him? Did he use the political answer?
“I always have to think about other factors that just following my Dad to Georgia,” Tommy Tremble said. “I met with Georgia personally. Kirby Smart offered me personally. That’s why I really felt all of it was coming together. So I really have to think when the other coaches that offer me and have offered me about that feeling when I visit with them and meet with them. If I have the same feeling at other schools, then I will then have a lot more to think about.”
It is worth noting that Kirby Smart was the first head coach to personally offer Tommy Tremble a football scholarship. That should go a long way compared to those other 14 offers he holds at this time.
“When Coach Smart offered me, I was still thinking about that for like three or four hours afterward,” Tommy Tremble said.
He admitted that an on-the-spot commitment did cross his mind.
“It did,” Tremble said. “But it is always the best decision to wait. Think about all your options. Look closely at all the options. Figure out what is the best thing for you. I just have to take my time with it and research all of this to find out what’s best for me.”