Kirby Smart understands the excitement fans have for adding the likes of Broderick Jones, Sedrick Van Pran, and the other top-rated offensive linemen his Bulldogs were able to include in their class of 2020.

He’s excited, too.

But what Georgia’s head coach doesn’t want to do is to anoint or even suggest any one of his newcomers at the position of potential starter before they even arrive on campus.

"It was a lot more important a year ago to sign Xavier Truss—and it was a lot more important a year ago to sign Warren McClendon. Because, when you have Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson, you understand there’s an opportunity for these guys to leave,” Smart said. “I'm not a big believer that the next guy was going to walk in and play for Andrew Thomas. You have to plan these things a year out.”

While it’s certainly not inconceivable that you'll see a freshman find his way into the starting lineup for the opener at Virginia, Smart said it’s probably wise to temper those expectations.

“We're looking at this plan and saying, 'Okay, these guys have to be ready to play, possibly this year, but really the next year,’” Smart said. “It’d be foolish for me to sit here and think that two of these tackles we just signed are going to walk in here and play. You guys are going to print that, but I’m also a realist. That’s probably not going to happen, based on the history of the SEC.”

That’s certainly true as it pertains to left tackle.

Although Thomas started as a true freshman at right tackle for Georgia in 2017, the Bulldogs haven’t had a true freshman open and play all season at left tackle since Trinton Sturdivant did so in 13 games in 2007.

In 1989, Mike Fellows started the season opener and the Peach Bowl at the position, while former Bulldog Cade Mays started one game at left tackle as a true freshman against Middle Tennessee. But otherwise, experience keeps the upper hand.

According to the Georgia football media guide, Sturdivant is the only true freshman to start and play the entire season at left tackle for the Bulldogs since record-keeping became a thing in 1957. In research completed by Patrick Garbin of UGASports, that streak actually extends back to 1943.

“You do the study of how many freshman offensive tackles have played. That’s tough to find. It’s hard to do,” Smart said. “They’re the athletic or the best guys, or we have injuries. Those guys will provide us great depth, and I certainly think a lot of these guys we just signed are talented enough to come help us, but they’re not meteor guys, and they’ll have to come in and compete for it.”

This brings us to Truss and McClendon, both of whom qualified for redshirts last fall.

At 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, Truss played in three games against Murray State, Arkansas State, and Georgia Tech, while also repping behind Thomas at left tackle for the latter half of the year.

Ditto for McClendon. The Brunswick native played in the same three games as McClendon, practicing primarily at right tackle behind Wilson and Jamaree Salyer, who figures to be the favorite to win the starting job this fall.

Truss, redshirt freshman Owen Condon, and perhaps McClendon could all compete for the starting job at left tackle this spring, with Jones and possibly Austin Blaske added to the mix in the fall.

At left guard, Justin Shaffer was cleared from his neck injury. Assuming he can stay healthy, he'll be the favorite to win that position, with Trey Hill and Ben Cleveland the favorites to win starting jobs at center and right guard respectively. Warren Ericson and Clay Webb will also be in the mix.

Along with Jones and Van Pran, Georgia’s remaining offensive line class, consisting of Blaske, Tate Ratledge, Chad Lindberg, Devin Willock, and Cameron Kinnie will arrive with the rest of the freshmen in late May.

Smart said this year’s class wasn’t recruited any differently than they have been in the past, dismissing the notion that new position coach Matt Luke wanted to recruit a different kind of offensive lineman than predecessor Sam Pittman.

"There’s no criteria. We sign based on who gives us the best opportunity to be successful. We look at what kind of person they are. How are they academically? How are they athletically? How many positions can they play?” Smart said. “There’s no size criteria, big or small, that we’re necessarily trying to change. That’s not the case. You’ve got to be able to pass-block and you’ve got to be able to run-block. There’s not a philosophical difference there.”