Zykie Helton is a former three-star offensive lineman who's been making waves all offseason at Georgia. He arrived to campus in the spring and immediately started playing with the first team, and now he is doing so well in camp that coaches are saying he could play on the defensive line for Georgia this season too.
It may seem unlikely for anyone to play on both sides of the football, let alone a true freshman, but Helton is making a push to do something most people likely never even dreamed was possible.
Tray Scott says he wants Zykie Helton on the defensive line.
— Harrison Reno (@HarrisonReno) August 12, 2026
Georgia freshman Zykie Helton appears to have starting OL spot locked up
The most important update from fall camp involving Helton is that he may already have a starting spot on Georgia's offensive line locked up. Yes things can still change over the next few weeks, but if the season began today he would likely be a starter.
It isn't uncommon for a true freshman to start on Georgia's offensive line. Just last year Juan Gaston started as a true freshman on Georgia's line in their first game of the season. The only difference is that Gaston was a five-star recruit and Helton was only a three-star.
Rankings however don't matter once players arrive on campus. Kirby Smart will play whoever he thinks are the best players, and if that's a three-star true freshman then that is who he will play.
Zykie Helton's offseason success shows fans shouldn't worry too much about Georgia's 2027 recruiting class
Georgia's 2027 recruiting class has caused some fans to worry. The Bulldogs have the No. 9 class in the country, but 12 of their 20 commits are three-stars. Helton's offseason surge though is proof that no one should focus on the stars and rankings of Georgia's 2027 commits.
Kirby Smart will recruit whoever he thinks is good enough to play at Georgia. He doesn't care if they are a five-star, three-star or unranked recruit, if he finds someone that is good enough to play at Georgia he will recruit them.
Some fans like to fall in love with recruiting rankings. They believe everything these recruiting sites say and will complain about Georgia's recruiting class because of their evaluations. Georgia fans should trust Smart more than anything though because of all the success he's found at Georgia. Not only has he won four SEC titles and two national championships, but he's also sent the most players to the NFL the past few years too.
This includes a handful of players who were once three-star recruits out of high school.
Helton is just the latest example of a low ranked recruit developing into a great player at Georgia. He does still need to prove it on the field during a game since he hasn't played one game at Georgia yet, but intel throughout fall camp indicates that he will be a special player.
Who knows if he will actually play both sides of the football, but the fact that he was a three-star recruit and could start on Georgia's offensive line week one is a nod to Smart's impressive recruiting abilities.
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