For the typical college student, fast food often ranks up there with homework and socializing in terms of daily rituals.
Jamaree Salyer is no longer typical.
Georgia's junior offensive lineman has the drive to become the program's next great tackle, with last year's starting tandem of Andrew Thomas (fourth overall to the New York Giants) and Isaiah Wilson (29th to the Tennessee Titans) having been selected in the first round of April's NFL draft. A major component to Salyer attaining his aspiration involved shedding some pounds, as his listing last year of 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds may have been 10 pounds too generous.
"I just knew that the weight thing was going to be a big contributor to where I could be, and that it would raise my potential," Salyer said this week on a Zoom call. "That was my goal going into the first quarantine - just to raise the bar for myself. I knew I could play tackle. I knew I could play guard. I knew I could play any of those positions at a much higher level if I lost the weight.
"My goal was to originally get to 315, but that has turned into 309. I'm sitting right about 315 right now, so I lost about 20 pounds in quarantine, and losing that weight has helped me out a lot for sure."
Salyer's trimming efforts apparently had a profound effect on his teammates, including fellow junior and returning starting center Trey Hill.
"He actually drove me a lot during the offseason with the way he was working so hard," said Hill, who admits to dropping weight as well. "He's already an experienced guy, but he still has a lot in front of him. Jamaree has worked his tail off to get where he is today."
Salyer signed in 2018 out of Pace Academy in Atlanta as the nation's No. 1 guard and a top-10 overall recruit according to Rivals.com and 247Sports.com. He has played in 26 of a possible 28 games the past two seasons, getting starts at right tackle in last September's 63-17 blowout of Murray State and in January's 26-14 dumping of Baylor in the Sugar Bowl.
His start in New Orleans was the result of Thomas and Wilson skipping the bowl to start focusing on their NFL plans, and Georgia's starting left tackle against the Bears, Cade Mays, transferred to Tennessee in January. Salyer knew he would be counted on to combat that exodus of talent, so he went to work on his sizable frame.
"I had to cut a lot of sweets out, for sure, and I had to cut out a lot of fried food," Salyer said. "That was my big thing, that and a lot of fast foods. If I did eat fast food, it would be a salad from Chick-fil-A. I pretty much lived off of those for a long time. I was doing those grilled salads and having a fried salad every once in a while. I just tried to stay on that salad regimen, and I cut back on Powerade, Powerade has a lot of sugar.
"I went to a water diet and tried to stick with it. It was really tough, and the hardest thing was the fried food and being a college student and going without fast food."
Salyer has practiced at left tackle and has taken reps "all over the place" for new offensive coordinator Todd Monken and new line coach Matt Luke, who did assist the Bulldogs in New Orleans. He insists any position is fine as long as it helps the team, and he realizes there is no time like the present.
"I've already put a lot into this season, and everybody deserves to see the work that I've put in," Salyer said. "It's the opportunity I've been waiting for. Being a guy who's been here for two years and has played behind two first-rounders, I feel like this is the season for me to go out and prove myself."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.