Player Spotlight - Why Brian Herrien is more than just a DGD
The very first time Brian Herrien touched the football as a Georgia Bulldog running back he scored a touchdown. And this touchdown wasn’t in garbage time against an FBS opponent when the Dawgs were up 45-0. It was the 2016 season opener against North Carolina, Kirby Smart’s first game as a head coach.
Georgia RB, Brian Herrien's first career TD
The score came from the North Carolina 19-yard line. It was a toss sweep to the right. The touchdown would break the second quarter tie and put the Bulldogs in the lead 14-7. From there Herrien would go on to be Georgia’s 3rd leading rusher for the season with 363 yards on 63 carries.
To date, Herrien has rushed for 1,086 yards with 10 touchdowns. But this article isn’t about Mr. Herrien’s stat line. It’s about his dream to play for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Brian Herrien wasn’t exactly highly recruited. He was a 3-star recruit for the 2016 recruit cycle who had one power-5 offer. That offer was from Kirby Smart, the newly hired Georgia Bulldogs head coach. The lack of offers wasn’t because Herrien lacked the skills. Athletically he had what it took.
Academically, however, is where things got dicey. He didn’t have the grades or the ACT score required for admission into the University of Georgia. That caused other schools to shy away from offering Herrien.
But not Kirby and his staff. They stayed on Herrien to make sure he did what he had to do to qualify academically. It wasn’t easy but in the end, he indeed did what was necessary and was able to enroll at UGA.
Herrien could have chosen a different path. He could have chosen to take the JUCO route. Work on his grades there and try again at UGA in a couple of years. But Brian he wanted to be a Bulldog. He had faith in his ability to make his dream a reality. Boy did he.
Since arriving at Georgia he has been an integral part of Georgia’s offense. Usually as a complement to the featured running backs of recent Bulldog history. The likes of Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and D’Andre Swift. He himself was never the feature running back but he has always made significant contributions.
Now keep in mind, Herrien could easily have transferred to another school and could have been the feature back at a number of other power-5 schools. But he wanted to be a Bulldog. Being a Georgia Bulldog means something to him.
It means more than just being a part of a winning program. It means more than being developed by some of the best coaches in the country, it means more than being an NFL prospect. To Brian Herrien, being a Bulldog means overcoming odds. It means achieving something that many others did not think he could achieve.
It means showing up, putting in the work and being successful. It means knowing that he has what it takes to make his dreams come true. He may have a new dream now and that dream may be to suit up for an NFL team on Sundays. And I have no doubt he will make that dream come true too.
