INDIANAPOLIS — Georgia football fan-favorite Zamir White was in his element on Wednesday at the Indiana Convention Center.

White, appearing more happy and upbeat than ever, shared his exuberance for the NFL Combine event, his head coach and his Georgia teammates during his podium presentation.

White, who has led the Bulldogs in rushing yards the past two seasons, indicated he’s ready to pass the baton to his old UGA roommate, Kenny McIntosh.

“Kenny McIntosh, great guy, can run, he’s physical, he can catch he can do it all,” White said, asked which Georgia running back to watch for next year. “Kenny is a good guy, he’s smart, he’s fast and he is still growing. He is going to be good.”

Of course, Kendall Milton will, too, and the Bulldogs have a strong and talented offensive line room returning.

It will be a competitive running backs room to be sure, just as it has been throughout White’s career. In fact, sweating through workouts and competing for carries are times White will never forget at Georgia.

“My favorite memory is just grinding with my buddies, just going through the long, hot summer workouts and fighting for your spot,” White said. “Then winning the ‘ship here, you can’t beat that feeling, that was just next level.”

And now it’s time for White to try to secure a place for himself at football’s next level in the NFL.

Does the player nicknamed “Zeus” feel like he can live up to his nickname during these NFL drills and workouts?

“Big strong, fast and powerful,” White said with a smile, asked if his nickname fit. “Yes sir.”

White, as much as any major football player in today’s game, shows great manners and respect at each turn in his dealings with fans and media alike.

Between his courtesy and smile, White is as hard not to like off the field as he can be to tackle on the field once he commits to a hole.

To be fair, White admitted on Wednesday that he didn’t truly feel 100 percent recovered from the ACL injuries he suffered in high school and his freshman year until midway through his junior year.

Of course, White had never told anyone that before, because he was a team leader and never one to make excuses.

That’s probably why he’s a regular on Kirby Smart’s call list, even now.

“Last night (Tuesday) he called me and we talked for about 20 minutes,” White said. “Just talking ball, laughing, talking about memories.”

The same Smart who schedules time to smile?

“Yes sir, we always talk on the phone,” White said. “At Georgia, it’s all like family, he really makes time for us. He talks to us like family.

“So it’s like, ‘Hey, Coach, what’s up?”

White also shared that you could never be too sure what Smart might do next for the team, surprising the leaders the Thursday before the 2020 Mississippi State game with the announced black jerseys would be worn.

The black jerseys had been brought out for recruits, but fans and past players never believed Smart would bring them back for games.

“Me neither!” White said with a smile. “We didn’t really know we were going to wear them. We were like, we don’t know, then that Thursday, they called us up to the leaders’ meeting and told us.”

It turns out many of the Bulldogs’ players liked wearing the alternate jerseys.

“Yes sir, they like wearing the different jerseys and different colors,” White said. “But me personally, I don’t care, it’s like I just want to play ball.”

To that end, all of DawgNation will be pulling for White as he competes at the NFL Combine, planning to do all events other than the bench press.