Kirby Smart doesn’t owe anyone anything. Just because one of his players started last year doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to start in the future. He will play who he thinks will give Georgia the best chance to win, and that is a great quality to have.
This mindset allows true freshman to come in and immediately compete for a starting spot. That currently is unfolding in Athens right now as David Pollack just predicted that true freshman offensive lineman Zykie Helton will start for Georgia this fall.
Helton however is a former three-star recruit out of high school which makes him potentially starting even more unfathomable.
"(Zykie) Helton, to me, on the offensive line, the freshman is going to come in and start immediately and make a name for himself up front and be an absolute animal," Pollack said via ugawire.usatoday.com.
Former 3-star recruit Zykie Helton could start for Georgia this fall
It’s somewhat uncommon for a true freshman to start on Georgia’s offensive line. It did happen last year though as Juan Gaston started the first game of the season, but he was a five-star recruit who everyone knew had a chance to immediately start.
Helton however was a three-star recruit, so he was not expected to start. In fact, no one really expected him to play all that much this year, but Pollack believes that he could be a starter.
Georgia lost some key pieces from their offensive line last year to the NFL Draft, so there are a few spots open for someone to take. Fans may have expected someone with a little more experience, but if Helton wins the starting job then more power to him.
What would Zykie Helton starting mean for the future of Georgia football?
Helton starting would send a direct message to the Georgia fans who are upset with their 2027 recruiting class.
As it stands right now, Georgia has the No. 16 overall class in the country. No one will argue that this is good enough, but there’s a segment of the fanbase that believes this could be the beginning of the end of Smart’s impressive run of elite football at Georgia. A big reason why they think this is because 10 of Georgia’s 18 commits are three-star recruits.
Helton however is proving that a player’s ranking doesn’t really matter, especially once they get on campus. Once they step foot on Georgia’s campus every ranking gets thrown out the window. Smart will only play the players that are ready to help Georgia win, and only the best 22 players will be the Bulldogs’ starters.
So if a true freshman comes in and earns the starting job then they deserve to play even if they were a three-star out of high school.
Instead of getting overly excited or upset at recruiting rankings, fans instead should focus on Smart’s track record. No one has won more than he has in the past 10 years and no one is as good at developing talent either. It shouldn’t matter what a player’s ranking is because if Smart thinks they’re good enough to play at Georgia then he is probably right.
So instead of getting upset at all of Georgia’s three-star commits, maybe fans should look forward to seeing how inaccurate these rankings end up being.
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