When talking about punter Brett Thorson, Georgia kicker Jake Podlesny had the line of the week when he joked that he and teammates would need to educate the newcomer from Australia that a Chick-fil-A sandwich is not to be referred to as a burger.

However, just as long as Thorson punts like the Bulldogs expect he will, he can call it anything he wants.

Podlesny likes what he sees.

“He’s a stud. He came in the first day and competed his butt off. I can’t say much more about that,” Podlesny said. “It says a lot to come from Australia within a day of his birthday and get to work.”

As any player on the Georgia football team will tell you, the best way to impress head coach Kirby Smart is to do exactly that.

Even with the loss of Jake Camarda, Thorson will need to show Smart he’s got what it takes. During last Saturday’s first scrimmage, he apparently got off to a good start.

“Replacing Jake Camarda will be key. I thought he had some good punts (Saturday) and he hit his directions, which is important,” Smart said. “If you have to punt left, you have to hit it left, and if you have to punt right, you have to hit it right; we call that our field zones. I thought he did a good job of doing that. So far this spring he has been a pleasant surprise. Probably not where Jake was last year, but he's done a really good job. He has had a really smooth transition.”

Georgia freshmen and newcomers are not allowed to speak to the media, but Thorson did speak with UGASports prior to arriving on campus and spoke about his reasons for coming to America to realize his football dreams.

“To come over on a scholarship is an attraction, and you get to live life like you’re in the movies. I’ve always been fascinated with America and American sports,” Thorson said. “The opportunity to continue my education while doing that as well is a highlight. There’s a lot of positives, and it’s hard to narrow down.”

Teammates like wide receiver Ladd McConkey say Thorson has fit in nicely with the rest of the of the locker room.

“Just to have him around, and the way he kind of talks, is funny,” McConkey said. “But he’s a great guy. He’s got an awesome leg obviously, or we wouldn’t have recruited him.”

Thorson is also more mature.

At 22, the Melbourne native is as old as Georgia’s current seniors, a fact that Podlesny believes will help him to adjust more quickly than it would if he were a typical freshman.

“His mindset is completely different,” Podlesny said. “I feel coming in as a 22-year-old, it’s a bit different. He just knows, you know what, I’ve got to get to work. This is all business.”

However, he’s still a freshman and he has to live in the freshman dorm.

“He’s getting an experience to say the last,” Podlesny said.

Smart just wants to see him improve.

“It's just punting. There's nothing special about what he is doing. I think when you think about Australians, you think of rugby punting when they roll and punt. From obviously watching it, he can do that and that is something we will explore, but that is not what we are working on right now,” Smart said. “We are working on our different protections, different looks, checking protections, and allowing him to kick under pressure, because that's the thing he has not been able to simulate.”