Blazevich happy to be home, in Belk Bowl

Jeb Blazevich has rarely had a problem standing out in a crowd.

Of course, some of that has to do with his 6-foot-5, 232-pound stature.

Yet even when the former Charlotte Christian standout is surrounded by other football players, he commands attention.

Tuesday night, Blazevich will step onto the biggest stage of his young and promising football career as his Georgia Bulldogs (9-3) will face Louisville (9-3) in the Belk Bowl at Bank of America Stadium.

Blazevich is the starting tight end for the Bulldogs as a freshman, an uncommon accolade at a school that in recent years has picked up the moniker “Tight End U.”

“Jeb’s a smart kid, he’s talented, obviously. He has enough of the body type and maturity physically to be able to hold up – those are things you got to have to be successful,” said Georgia coach Mark Richt.

“He’s really done well. I’m very proud of him. He’s our starting tight end – that says something right there.”

While some Georgia players and fans might have hoped to spend the holidays elsewhere – like competing for a national championship – Blazevich, 19, is happy to be near his Matthews home.

“I love being home. It’s a great blessing to be able to play in the Belk Bowl,” he said. “Tickets have been in big demand – a bunch of my friends, if they’re not using tickets, they’ll throw them my way.

“We’re going to have a little Blazevich/Charlotte Christian section, hopefully. I can’t wait to see them after the game.”

All week, Blazevich has encountered reminders of his path to big-time college football.

Georgia was assigned to practice this week at Charlotte Country Day, where Blazevich and his former Charlotte Christian teammates often battled.

“It’s crazy to come back here as a college player,” Blazevich said after finishing a practice session Friday. “I think everybody covers the field a little faster than the last time I was here.”

Yet, he still remembers.

“Right there,” Blazevich points to the end zone as a group of reporters looks on. “I scored the game-winner in this end zone. I’ll never forget that.”

Blazevich was already drawing the attention of college scouts when he scored on a 44-yard touchdown reception on fourth-and-18 in the October 2012 game that gave Christian a 27-21 victory in his junior season.

Blazevich caught 30 passes for 379 yards and five touchdowns that season as Christian went on to win the first of two state independent schools championships during his career.

In high school, Blazevich made several trips with friends to Bank of America Stadium to watch the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. He even thought about the possibility of playing in the Belk Bowl when he watched Cincinnati beat Duke in 2012.

“I was watching Kyler and Kelby Brown (who played for Duke), some of our good friends who live right down the road and went to Charlotte Christian,” Blazevich said.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, one day I want to be out there, too.’ Sure enough, God’s been good and I’m going to get the opportunity.”

Football runs deep in Blazevich’s family – his grandfather, Ed Tate Parker, played at Mississippi and his father, Jim, played at Northwestern.

Jeb elected to sign with Georgia and has never looked back.

Why the Bulldogs?

“It’s just where God was calling me to go,” said Blazevich, a devout Christian. “I just really loved the coaches – coach Richt and (tight ends coach John) Lilly.”

There were no promises of playing time, but Blazevich wasted little time this season establishing himself as an integral part of the Bulldogs’ offense. He supplanted junior Jay Rome at tight end and has started the past 10 games. Blazevich has 16 catches for 256 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.

“I can’t say enough good things about my teammates, just everybody around me who’s helped me this season,” Blazevich said.

“This is a great venue, this is a great team that we’re going up against. We want to get one more win to get to 10 wins – that’s a pretty rare thing to do.

“We’re hungry to get better each and every day.”

An approach that continues to fuel Blazevich’s football career.

This story was originally published December 27, 2014 at 5:57 PM.