Growth from within continues to mark Georgia’s young group of offensive lineman

“I don’t see what reassessing anything we did last year will help any of the guys we have moving in the O-line (group) this year,” Greene said. “So we’re really just trying to, like I said, focus on making everybody better. I feel as myself, everybody in the (group), starting with (offensive line) coach (Stacy) Searels all the way down, everybody has to get better. Really just try to fulfill their max potentials every day. That’s all you can ask for.”

Unlike the wide receivers, where Georgia brought in two transfers and freshmen have consistently shown an ability to contribute early, the offensive line never really has been built that way.

The last transfer Georgia took at the position was Tyler Catalina from Rhode Island, before Kirby Smart’s first season in Athens. Cade Mays was the most recent freshman to start on the offensive line. That was in 2018.

If Georgia’s offensive line is to get better, it will have to rely on the players it has in the group.

“We’ve kinda had this coming for a while, so it’s been an anticipation of how we can create depth in our signing classes,” Smart said. “We’ve got a lot of young offensive linemen in our signing classes who haven’t played who need to grow up and play.”

Georgia isn’t totally starting over on the offensive line, as Greene, Micah Morris, Monroe Freeling and Drew Bobo all return. Those four all started multiple games for Georgia a season ago.

Morris, Freeling and Bobo all earned those starting reps because of injuries that Greene, Tate Ratledge and Jared Wilson suffered during the 2024 season. Morris and Freeling also were injured during the 2024 campaign, with Freeling needing offseason labrum surgery. He will miss spring practice as he recovers.

The lack of health hurt this group greatly in 2024. Even if it did give those returning some much-needed seasoning.

“They got some dudes in that (meeting) room that I know can get the job done,” Ratledge said. “I expect Drew Bobo, Micah, Earnest, all those three to kind of be the big three in that room, kind of leading that room to where they need to go.”

As for the young offensive lineman in the group, this spring grants them a massive opportunity. Wilson was unsure who might step in at right guard, which previously was occupied by Ratledge.

Daniel Calhoun is the most obvious candidate. The redshirt freshman may be the most developed of Georgia’s seven offensive line signees from the 2024 signing haul.

His work ethic has drawn praise from Ratledge and Greene alike.

“Calhoun’s a guy that he kind of embraces what we embrace as an O-line,” Greene said. “You know, we just come in and we like to work and keep our head down and get as good as we possibly can.”

At offensive tackle, fellow 2024 signee Jah Jackson has a massive opportunity this spring as he is in his second year, and first spring, with the program. Add in that Freeling is out to injury and the competition at tackle becomes very interesting.

Bo Hughley and Jamal Meriweather may no longer fit in the category of young players, as each is in his third year in the program. This is a massive opportunity for them if they are to break into the offensive line rotation.

The early returns for Hughley — who actually is participating in his first spring practice for Georgia — have been encouraging. He seems to have taken a real step forward this offseason and finds himself in a place where he can play winning football for Georgia.

As last season showed, Georgia is going to need more than five offensive linemen that can play winning football. The SEC is too physical of a league to just think you can make it with five offensive linemen.

To be honest with you, it’s a problem across the NFL, where they don’t have enough offensive linemen I know nobody in the country right now in college football is saying we’ve got enough linemen," Smart said. “There’s not enough quality offensive linemen out there, and you’re trying to build quality depth across the board at the position.”

Smart would like to see that number at least get to eight by the time the 2025 season begins. Right now, that number is likely at four.

Georgia has completed three of its 15 spring practices thus far. It has a long way to go before it opens the 2025 season against Marshall in August.

This group also heard all offseason about how they have to get better after the 2024 season. They’re well aware by this point that they, individually and as a unit, have to get better.

“You’ve always got to approach everything every day, one day at a time,” Greene said. “Just get as best individually as you can possibly be, and just taking every day with that approach. Everybody’s really just back to square one honestly, it’s Day One of spring ball. So getting back to the basics, and just executing everything you possibly can, and getting as good as you possibly can, whether that’s on the field, off the field, how to prepare, how to treat yourself like a professional, all types of different things.”