Give Christian Conley credit: He never forgot where he came from.

The former UGA standout now plays for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite being in the big leagues now, he hasn’t forgotten his Bulldog roots – and his feelings toward the archrivals from the south.

Conley signed autographs after a Jaguars practice, and after putting his name on a young fan wearing a Florida Gators t-shirt, Conley smiled and remarked, “the Gators suck.”

The crowd of autograph seekers got a good laugh.

How deep is Conley’s disdain for the Gators? “I’ll rep Miami and Florida State before them,” he told the crowd.

The 26-year-old Conley played the last three seasons with Kansas City Chiefs. He played for UGA from 2011 to 2014 under former Bulldogs coach Mark Richt.

For Jacksonville, one of the offseason’s human-interest stories was Conley’s new-found love of surfing. Of course, the Bulldog at heart even had a custom Georgia surfboard designed.