Early Impact Freshmen: Offense

Kirby Smart is not afraid to play freshmen.

If you prove yourself in practice, he and his coaches will find you a place on the field. It may be on special teams. It may be in a backup role. They've even been known to earn starting roles.

Regardless, there are going to be plenty of opportunities this fall.

With the season-opener against UT-Martin just over a week away, let’s take an updated look at the freshman class, which players we believe will make an impact, and which ones could possibly redshirt.

We'll start with the offense:

RB Roderick Robinson: Robinson playing qualifies as a no-brainer with Wednesday’s news that Branson Robinson (no relation) is out for the year with a ruptured patella tendon. Listed at 6-foot and 240 pounds, Robinson is a bruiser, certainly capable of picking up tough inside yards, and should get some chances playing behind Kendall Milton, Daijun Edwards, Andrew Paul, and Cash Jones.

TE Lawson Luckie: Luckie had an outstanding spring and was primed to play an early role at tight end. Unfortunately, a recent ankle injury slowed his roll, and he’s expected to miss the first few weeks. The good news is, when he does return, there should be an opportunity to get on the field, both in a backup role at tight end and special teams.

WR Zeed Haynes: Coaches still want to see Haynes gain strength, but he’s handled himself well and made some nice catches during scrimmages. Haynes runs good routes for a young player, and although he needs to improve as a blocker, it’s believed he’ll carve out a niche to start his Bulldog career.

WR Anthony Evans III: Like Haynes, Evans has made some nice catches and is one of the fastest players on the team. He’s currently in the slot, the same position as Dominic Evans and Mekhi Mews. The fact Kirby Smart mentioned his name during his last press conference leads one to believe he’ll at least be a semi-regular part of the rotation.

OT Monroe Freeling: Freeling seems the furthest ahead of all the freshmen offensive linemen. Coming in as an early enrollee certainly helped his cause, and as a result, we expect him to see some backup reps, perhaps at both tackle positions.

TE Pearce Spurlin III: Spurlin has bounced back from collarbone surgery. One of four scholarship tight ends currently on the team, along with Brock Bowers, Oscar Delp, and Lawson Luckie, he’ll play.

WR Tyler Williams: Williams has been seen going through practice drills with the fourth unit, indicating he should see some playing time. Will it be more than the four games players can go and still keep their redshirt? That’s the question.

K Peyton Woodring: According to Smart, Woodring is neck and neck with Jared Zirkel for the starting job at kicker. Even if he doesn’t win it, Woodring could still handle kickoffs.

OL Kelton Smith Jr: It’s believed the Bulldogs feel pretty good about their two-deep, and currently, Smith is not part of that equation. That’s not a knock, as coaches love his athleticism. Although we’ll likely see Smith on the field for a couple of games, it’s not expected to exceed four, meaning he’ll be able to keep his redshirt.

OL Bo Hughley: Hughley has excellent length and a lot of potential, but at 280 pounds, has to add weight and get stronger

OL Joshua Miller: Miller projects as an inside lineman, but Georgia already has a lot of depth there. He’ll use his freshman year to get stronger, while continuing to learn the offense.

OL Jamal Meriweather: Like Hughley, Meriweather has the length Georgia is looking for at tackle, but needs to mature physically.