Kirby Smart Updates the Progress of Georgia's Freshmen Offensive Linemen
In this story:
In a word, Georgia's freshmen offensive line group is big. This spring, they're just focused on getting in shape and learning how to play on the line of scrimmage in the SEC.
Since Kirby Smart arrived in Athens, offensive line play has been one of his most crucial focuses. Georgia was above average for a long time at that spot, but under the tutelage of coaches like Sam Pittman, Matt Luke, and Stacey Searels, Georgia's offensive line has become one of the country's best year in and year out.
A big factor in that is recruiting. Georgia lands five stars and turns them into NFL talent. 2024's class was no different. The Bulldogs landed five of the top 100 offensive linemen in the country, including four who were ranked among the top 25. All five of those early enrollees share a similar trait: size. And while being big is never a bad thing for an offensive lineman, sometimes you can be a little too big. Tackle Daniel Calhoun came to Georgia at 365 pounds, while fellow tackle Nyier Daniels came in at a staggering 391. Before anything else, Kirby Smart has made getting into college football shape a priority for his young linemen.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart looks on during spring practice in Athens, Ga., on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
© Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK
"That group as a whole has been tremendous at weight loss," said Smart in his press conference on Tuesday. "I don't know if any of them are, maybe a couple are, right at 330. But Nyier [Daniels] had the greatest loss going from 396 to - I don't want to quote - I don't know, I mean, he's lost 40-50 pounds, somewhere in that window. Daniel Calhoun's lost a tremendous amount. Marques Easley, he's lost a tremendous amount. Michael Uini has done a really good job there too. And [Malachi] Toliver probably had the least to lose so he hasn't had to lose a lot. He is having to play center, [a] new position that he's developing."
Georgia 2024 Offensive Line Early Enrollees
- Daniel Calhoun - 6'6" 365 lbs
- Michael Uini - 6'7" 335 lbs
- Marques Easley - 6'5.5" 335 lbs
- Nyier Daniels - 6'7" 391 lbs
- Malachi Toliver - 6'6 320 lbs
"That group across the board, it's unique to have - most times mid-year you have two or three o-linemen - and having five is very unique. You don't really want all five of them there at once because you get a recipe for disaster. But you got five players who are getting better a lot faster."
Having five true freshmen on the offensive line is one thing, having to rely on them to play is an entirely different scenario as Smart correctly points out above. Luckily for Georgia, they already have plenty of linemen with SEC experience ready to go. For the freshmen, just making the jump to college ball is all they have to focus on right now.
"We've tried to integrate them into different parts of the practice, not all at once because it's hard. this is the largest jump there is in all of sports to me to go from a high school offensive lineman to a college offensive lineman."
Other Georgia News:
- WATCH: Georgia Running Back Kendall Milton Talks NFL Combine Process
- Daijun Edwards Talks Journey at Georgia, Being Coached by Dell McGee
- Jermaine Burton Talks Georgia vs Alabama, Time as a Bulldog
Join the Community
Follow Christian Goeckel on Twitter: @GoeckelSI
Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE.
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @DawgsDailyFN
