Stacy Searels has landed a third Peach State offensive lineman.

Four-star Zykie Helton has committed to Georgia. The Carrollton standout chose the Bulldogs over Georgia Tech, Alabama, and Florida State.

"Me and Kirby (Kirby Smart, head coach) have an outstanding bond, me and Coach Searels (Stacy Searels, offensive line coach)," Helton said last month. "I feel like our bond is really unbreakable. Y'all might hear me say that a lot, but it is how they really make me feel right now."

It has been a long journey for Helton. He committed to Alabama in July 2023 before backing off that pledge in the wake of Nick Saban's retirement. He has also battled Crohn's Disease, which at one point sent his weight dropping to around 240 pounds.

Through it all, Georgia stuck with Helton and continued recruiting him to Athens.

"(Searels) said I'm a really strong dude," Helton told UGASports. "I've been through a lot in my life, a lot of ups and downs. A lot of people tell me I'm not big enough to play in the big boy league. But I never listen to what other people say. I really worked hard to get my weight back, really hitting the weight room hard in rehab."

Helton said Georgia told him during his recruitment to get back up to 275 pounds and "come be a first-rounder" in Athens. He is now up to around 290 pounds, projecting as a center or perhaps a guard at the next level with continued weight gain.

Wherever he ends up playing, Helton is looking forward to being coached by Searels.

"I feel like he's very, like, how do you say it, let me think of a word. Co-parenting," Helton said last fall. "He really loves his guys, but chews them out at the same time. I’m like, I want a coach who's going to chew me out when I do stuff wrong. Stuff like that, like my coaches do here. They do a very great job of telling me the stuff I do wrong, and try not to do a great job of telling me what I do right."

Helton is the third offensive lineman in Georgia's 2026 class, joining Graham Houston and Zachary Lewis.