Dylan Fairchild has a new nickname, and he doesn’t rightly know what to think.

Give left tackle Earnest Greene III the assist.

It was Greene who let slip that “Pickles” is the new moniker for Fairchild, whose rise from scout team to starter continues to earn him team-wide respect, albeit with a few light-hearted rubs to keep him on his toes.

“Pickles, Dill Pickle, I guess is what they call me,” Fairchild smiled. “I don't know who started that.”

It’s all love.

“Pickles is a strong man on campus. That’s kind of his motto,” Greene said. “It’s good to have someone like Dylan Fairchild on the offensive line. That’s why you come somewhere like Georgia, to play with and compete with somebody like him.”

Fairchild’s journey is a story with plenty of inspiration.

The former four-star was primarily a scout team performer his first two years, before making 10 starts last season at left guard.

Flash forward to 2024.

With less than two weeks before the opener against Clemson, Fairchild is primed for another key year as a pivotal member of Georgia’s offensive line.

“It was hard my first two years. Not traveling with the team is hard to do and just being on the scout team,” Fairchild said. “We got a lot of guys that are going to go through the same thing I did and just being able to be a leader to them and being able to tell them ‘I did the same thing.’ It means a lot to me. Part of my why is going through that; just going through that hard time being asked a question every day, ‘Who are you going to be?’ and having an answer.”

Head coach Kirby Smart said Fairchild’s teammates could not have a better role model.

During a recent team meeting, Fairchild stood before his teammates, explaining his “why” and how the lessons he’s learned over the previous three years have molded him into the person and player he is.

Smart liked what he heard.

“Toughness. Character. What he stands for just as a man. I have a lot of respect for Dylan and the way he's gone about his approach,” Smart said. “He stood up in front of the team and told his story. He talked about the years he spent on the scout team and how much it meant to him to earn what he's gotten here and how hard he's had to work for it.”

Fairchild has never been afraid of little hard work. Nor has he been afraid to take a few knots along the way.

A medal for winning the Class 7-A wrestling title is a proud reminder of the sacrifice Fairchild put in on the mat at West Forsyth High.

But even there, little lessons in humility along the way that Fairchild credits for the success he’s enjoying as a Bulldog.

“Going through what I went through as a kid as a wrestler, I got beat a lot as a young kid in the training facility I was in. I knew that getting beat is how you become better,” Fairchild said. “That's how you grow. You've got to get beat. You've got to lose to win. Going through that was a big step in the process of being a player.”