Georgia offensive linemen from Class of 2024 making strides already
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia coach Kirby Smart had high hopes for his freshman offensive linemen when they signed back in December, but he knew there was lots that had to be done before any impact could be made. While the five that arrived have come a long way already, there’s still a way to go. That’s not to say that Smart can’t tip his cap to the improvement that’s been made in just a matter of months.
“That group as a whole has been tremendous at weight loss. I don’t know if any of them are, maybe a couple, are right at 330,” Smart said. “Nyier (Daniels)‘s had the greatest loss, going from 396 to — I don’t want to quote, but he’s lost 40-50 pounds, somewhere in that window. Daniel Calhoun‘s lost a tremendous amount. (Marques) Easley‘s lost a tremendous amount. (Michael) Uini has done a real good job there, too. (Malachi) Toliver probably had the least to lose, so he didn’t really have to lose a lot. He is having to play center, a new position that he’s developing at.”
Georgia signed six offensive linemen as a part of its top-ranked Class of 2024, showing a need to reload the position group with turnover happening and more expected in the near future.
The Bulldogs lost two to the NFL Draft and four (so far) to the transfer portal this offseason. Several others are expected gone after this coming campaign with a veteran group in line for this season. So, that makes this year’s class that much more important as potential contributors down the road.
“That group across the board, it’s unique to have. Most of the time, midyear, you have two or three O-linemen. Having five is very unique,” Smart added. “You don’t really want all five of them there at once because you have a recipe for disaster, but you’ve got five players who are getting better a lot faster, and we’re trying to integrate them into different parts of the practice, and not all at once because it’s hard. The largest jump in all of sports to me is to go from a high school offensive lineman to a college offensive lineman.”
Georgia offensive lineman Jared Wilson agrees with that assessment on the jump from high school to college. He went through that transition once upon a time and has taken years to develop into a potential contributor for the Bulldogs.
“It’s very difficult, but it’s also what you want to shape your body into,” Wilson said. “The people around this building make it easier. Our nutrition staff, strength staff, coaching staff, everybody’s great. It just makes that hard transition a little bit easier when you’re transforming your body. You’ll do a lot of extra running, extra lifts, you might eat things that you don’t want to eat, but in the end, when you see the progress and it’s happening, it’s really nice.”
“Big, they’re athletic and they all can move,” he added, asked about the class of freshmen offensive linemen in particular. “They all care about their body and this place. All of them have lost a tremendous amount of weight, they’re running well, they’re fast. They’re a really impressive group.”
Georgia continues spring practice this weekend, going through its sixth session. In total, the Bulldogs will work 15 times including a trio of scrimmages, the final of which is set for G-Day, April 13th. Kickoff time from Sanford Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
