Earlier this year, Putnam County’s Tamarion Peters signed to play football at Georgia Military College.
The former War Eagles’ running back is now enrolled at GMC in Milledgeville. Peters is also preparing for his upcoming freshman campaign as the Bulldogs recently started fall camp.
Peters told The Eatonton Messenger this week that he’s excited about the chance to continue his career.
However, he’s valuing the education aspect of college while also balancing football at the same time.
“College life is amazing, but you have to make time to study. It’s different, a transition,” Peters said. “I have some hybrid classes where you have to do work at home. Then you work out two times a day and practice once a day. You have to stay hydrated since you’re out all day, too. It’s definitely a lot different than high school. It’s a transition, for sure, but I am getting used to it.”
Peters chose GMC because of its close proximity to Eatonton. He wanted to be near home for now.
“I visited the University of the Cumberlands, where [my former teammate] Malik Thornton is, but it was too cold. They and GMC offered around the same time and I felt like GMC was the better choice for me,” Peters said. “I wouldn’t be too far from home. I’d also still have Georgia weather, but Coach [Shaun] got me that connection with [GMC head] coach [Rob] Manchester to sign.”
Peters credits former Putnam County head coach Shaun Pope with helping him and teammate DJ Bland to ink with GMC. He also thanks Pope for being “more than just a coach” while in his role.
“It was amazing having him as a coach. He’s not a regular coach,” Peters said. “He was like a father and brother to all of us. He cares what you do on the field, but also off the field. Like what you go through at home, he’s always going to call or text you. So, that was a good bond I had with him.”
Pope said to The Eatonton Messenger back in February about Peters after his signing ceremony.
“He’s been tremendous. Once he came over from the middle school, he was kind of allergic to the weight room and hard work,” Pope said. “But he’s such a great kid and finally bought into what we were doing. He’s been tremendous. For whatever reason in that second semester of his ninth-grade year, it just started clicking for him and he bought in. Now, he’s got an opportunity to let football pay for his education.”
Pope also spoke of highly of Peters’ character and added that he’s a “true leader” off the field.
“He’s [also] always happy, always smiling,” Pope said.
“It also seems like he never has a bad day and he leads by example. He’s great in the classroom and weight room. He’s a first-class young man with everything he does. I am extremely proud of him.
He will do great things in life.”
Peters will continue playing running back at the collegiate level for GMC. In his senior year at Putnam County, the 5-foot-10 and 215-pound tailback rushed for 970 yards and a team-high 15 rushing touchdowns. As a junior, he also ran for a total of 431 total yards on 50 rushes with 10 scores in 2021.
The Eatonton native has high hopes for his freshman season at GMC. He wants to make a difference for the Bulldogs, who open up the season at Iowa Western Community College on Sept. 2.
“My expectation is to come in and be the best player I can be in games,” Peters said. “If I do that, I can maybe gain more offers and transfer, but for now, my main focus is to pass all my classes at GMC.”
Peters said he will major in business and hopes to become “an entrepreneur” after football is done. Either way, he wants to continue his career following his two years at GMC, which is a junior college.
“I want to continue to play as long as I can,” Peters said. “I also want to forward my education.”
Peters will room with former Putnam County star and current GMC teammate DJ Bland, who also signed with the Bulldogs. The two have played together since rec ball. Peters looks forward to living with Bland, and seeing how well he can perform for the Bulldogs this upcoming season in 2023.
“We’re roommates, so that’s amazing. I’ve got a roommate that I have known all my life and went to school with all my life,” Peters said. “I know him very well, so this helps the transition. It’s good.”
Looking back at his career at Putnam County, Peters knows he left the football program better off than when he joined it. The class of 2023 was one of the winningest classes in War Eagles’ history.
Peters admitted he’s going to miss it, but knows the future is bright. He enjoyed every second of it.
“It’s a part of me now,” Peters said. “It really went well. [My career] didn’t end on a high note after losing in the second round [of the playoffs] but we had a great run. I developed a great bond with my teammates. Our [senior class] taught the younger guys how to be successful and win on and off the field.”