Georgia has been in fall camp practices for a couple weeks now and some players have instantly stood out and made themselves known as starters for the upcoming season. Usually those players are second years that didn't play a lot in their first season or sometimes they can be true freshman, but typically in positions like on the defense or wide receiver.
Typically when it comes to the offensive line, true freshmen don't start right away because the jump from highs school to college if extremely difficult and one of the biggest to make. However, for true freshman Juan Gaston, a former 5-star recruit, he has been receiving first team reps in practice and is looking to be a starter this season.
Now this is more than just a young player showing he has what it takes to be a starter. If Gaston is to be a starter for the 2025 season, it would be the first time a true freshman has started on the offensive line since 2018, which was seven years ago. The last player to do that was Cade Mays, who played at Georgia for two seasons before transferring to Tennessee.
Juan Gaston could be the first True Freshman to start on the OL since 2018. (Cade Mays) #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/TG8N1et5Oy
— Dawg Muse 🏆 (@UGAFanatic0) August 14, 2025
Gaston came to Georgia after being the No. 18 player in the Class of 2025, the No. 4 offensive tackle in his class, and the No. 4 player in the State of Georgia. This Atlanta native was always pretty high on the Bulldogs in his recruitment and ended up choosing to stay in the Peach State for his college career and now it is paying off.
While Gaston came to Georgia as an offensive tackle, he has been getting reps at right guard, which makes his versatile and be able to play where ever he is needed for Smart. Even if Gaston doesn't end up getting the starting role, he has a real chance to come off the bench and still get solid playing time this season.