ATHENS, Ga. – As a member of the Rhode Island Rams, offensive tackle Tyler Catalina went up against the likes of Albany, Brown, Central Connecticut, Harvard, Stony Brook and Towson.
The 6-foot-6, 314-pounder is now a graduate transfer at Georgia, where he is getting a baptism in the Southeastern Conference. Catalina has faced the likes of Missouri defensive end Charles Harris and Ole Miss defensive end Marquis Haynes the past two weekends and this Saturday could see his share of Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett as the No. 25 Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1 SEC) host the No. 11 Volunteers (4-0, 1-0).
Georgia offensive lineman Tyler Catalina (72) during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against North Carolina in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016. (Photo by Perry McIntyre Jr.) Asked recently to pinpoint the biggest difference in competing for the Rams and the Bulldogs, Catalina couldn’t pick just one.
“Speed, power, and there is more of a rotation,” Catalina said. “Ole Miss had guys rotating in every three or four plays, so they were staying fresh, and the guys coming in are just as good as the guys going out.”
Catalina was a three-year starting tackle for the Rams, working on the right side as a freshman in 2013 and the left side the past two years. He began August camp as Georgia’s third tackle with Isaiah Wynn and Greg Pyke as the starters but practiced well enough that coaches elected to move Wynn in to left guard.