One of the hardest things to do in college football is start as a true freshman. That is the case at any position on the football field, but it is especially difficult as an offensive lineman.
The difference in physicality from high school to college is extreme on the offensive line. So even a player who dominated in high school will still find it challenging to see the football field as a true freshman, let alone be named a starter.
But incoming true freshman offensive lineman Juan Gaston was just named the starter at right guard for Georgia football's season opener against Marshall.
True freshman Juan Gaston listed as the starter at right guard. UGASports readers knew this was coming last Sunday pic.twitter.com/58FjyTO8Ve
— Radi Nabulsi (@RadiNabulsi) August 30, 2025
Juan Gaston named a starter for Georgia as a true freshman
Gaston was one of the top recruits in the 2025 recruiting class out of high school. 247Sports had him as their No. 18 overall player in the country and their No. 4 offensive tackle.
This made it extremely likely for Gaston to have a successful career at Georgia, but it was not expected for him to come in as a true freshman this year and earn a starting spot. Finding time on Georgia's offensive line as a backup is what was expected of him, but he came in this offseason and proved without a doubt that he was the top option for Georgia at right guard.
It is worth noting that Gaston was earning first team reps throughout fall camp, so him becoming a starter seemed like a real possibility. But for it to actually come true for the first game of the season is still extremely surprising.
Georgia and Marshall are scheduled to do battle at 3:30 pm EST on Saturday, so this will be Georgia fans first chance to see Gaston in action. And expectations should be sky high for him not just this season, but throughout the rest of his career.