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Ben Cleveland goes into further detail about his famous knife

Connor Riley
Connor Riley

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Ben Cleveland explains the story behind his do-it-all knife

ATHENS — Ben Cleveland is in one of the more intriguing position battles on the Georgia team as he tries to win the starting job at right guard. He’s also one of the more veteran members of the team and could offer up a wealth of knowledge on a number of subjects regarding Georgia football.

But the first couple of questions Cleveland was asked on Tuesday night weren’t about his position battle or a how certain member of the team is doing. No, the media gathered around Cleveland wanted to know about his fabled knife that he uses to do pretty much everything.

When offensive tackle Andrew Thomas spoke at SEC Media Days, he was asked if he had any funny stories regarding one of his teammates. And the junior spilled the beans about Cleveland and what he does with his knife.

“He has this knife he carries around that he does everything with. Picks his teeth, toenails, hunts stuff with. It’s all the same knife,” Thomas said.

Tuesday was Cleveland’s first time speaking to the media since Thomas spoke about his knife. And Cleveland copped to everything and explained it in a way that made sense.

“It’s just, growing up you always had a knife in your pocket, and it happened to transfer into college,” Cleveland said. “So I stick to it, and I always carry one whoever I go.”

Cleveland joked that he knew people were going to ask to see the knife, but he instead left the knife in his change of clothes.

When someone asked the junior from Toccoa, Ga., if he really did pick his teeth with a knife that he hunts with, his answer indicated that he was surprised someone would think that it wasn’t a normal thing to do.

“Yeah,” Cleveland said. “You ever get something stuck in your mouth and you ain’t got a toothpick?”

Cleveland was asked if he could share something similar on Thomas. And while he wasn’t as specific as Georgia’s left tackle, Cleveland did paint a picture of what Thomas is like away from the media.

“He’s a goofball for the most part, he always keeps us entertained,” Cleveland said. “Andrew don’t really do nothing goofy that you can pick out in a story. There’s nothing you can really say to get back at him for that.”

Cleveland is from way up in north Georgia, just minutes from the South Carolina border and the north Georgia mountains. Thomas meanwhile went to one of Atlanta’s elite private schools in Pace Academy.

The two come from completely different backgrounds. And yet because of the game of football — and Georgia football in particular — it has brought these two, along with the rest of the Georgia offensive line together to form a very strong bond.

“We all come from different backgrounds but through coach Pittman we all come together like brothers,” Thomas said.

Cleveland’s knife was one of the funnier stories to come out of SEC Media Days. And to some, it might seem weird to carry a knife around with you. But to hear Cleveland tell it, having it seems pretty normal.

Nick Chubb earns rave reviews from Cleveland coach Freddie Kitchens

Nick Chubb is entering his second season in the NFL. As a rookie, he ran for 996 yards and 8 touchdowns. And that’s with him spending much of the first part of the season as a back-up.

Now entering his second year, Chubb is looking to build off what he did in 2018.

And to hear his coach, Freddie Kitchens, speak about Chubb, it sounds like the former Georgia running back is due to have a big year.

“I just know Nick is everything we want in a football player from the standpoint of how he approaches the game,” Kitchens said. “How he approaches practice, how he approaches every time he has the ball in his hands, every time he is pass protecting and every time he is running routes. Nick works his tail off every time he crosses the white line.”

It will be very hard for defenses to key in on Chubb this season, given the Browns have Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry at wide receiver and Baker Mayfield at quarterback.

Chubb though will have to earn his carries, especially in the back half of the season. Despite Chubb’s strong rookie season, the Browns signed Kareem Hunt after he was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs following the release of a video where he got into an altercation with a woman in a hotel. Hunt will be suspended for the first eight games of the season due to the incident.

Chubb is one of three former Georgia running backs who will be starters this year, as Todd Gurley will likely star for the Los Angeles Rams and Sony Michel will be one of the many running backs used by the New England Patriots. Gurley and Michel met in the Super Bowl last season, with Michel scoring the games only touchdown.

The Browns’ first regular season game is set for Sept. 8, when they take on the Tennessee Titans.

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