Left tackle Broderick Jones laughed while recalling the first time he saw freshman running back Branson Robinson.

By now, you know that Robinson is built like a cross between a brick house and the Incredible Hulk, something Jones and the rest of the Bulldogs saw for the first time when he first arrived on campus late in the spring.

“First time I saw him, he was in the locker room and had his shirt off, and I was like—who is this? He makes me look little,” Jones said. “I was like, ‘Yo, you’ve got to put a shirt on around here, you’re too big.’”

Robinson led Georgia’s 290-yard rushing effort last week against Auburn with a team-best 98 yards. His work in the weight room is what’s really amazing.

“We did our squat max. I don’t know how much he had on the bar, but the bar was, like, bent—on both sides. I was just amazed,” Jones said. “I think it was like 685-700, something crazy. He was squatting what linemen were squatting.”

Left guard Xavier Truss was there.

“It was crazy impressive, having to squat next to him and work out next to him,” Truss said. “You hear all these things before you meet the incoming guys, and it was really impressive to see how much he can actually do. But just the type of person I think he is impressed me more, just how personable, and how much of a character guy he is.”

Jones said not to look for him to be challenging Robinson in the weight room anytime soon. Especially on the squat.

“He’s way above mine. Mine’s 550-560. He’s blowing me out of the gym. My knees aren’t good enough to squat like that,” Jones said. “He moves the bar so fast. That’s what amazes me. He doesn’t struggle to get it up. He’s down and up, very fluid. It’s crazy.”

Xavier Truss didn’t come in as Georgia’s most highly recruited offensive lineman.

Considering he hails from Rhode Island, where the competition level is not exactly what you see in states such as Georgia, hearing that does not exactly come as a surprise.

That was almost four years ago.

Today, Truss has gone from what most agree is a project to the Bulldogs’ starter at left guard, a position he’s anchored for the first six games.

“The first thing he’s done is seized the opportunity. He’s gotten better each and every day, every year, really,” head coach Kirby Smart said during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. “He came in as a kid who had not played against a lot of really high-level competition and I think the tempo, atmosphere, practice environment was a big adjustment for him. For him, it was about how do you sustain working really hard and go out and practice really, really hard, and physical.”

Truss, who saw action as a reserve in all 15 games last season, won the job with a strong spring, beating out the likes of Devin Willock, Micah Morris, and Warren Ericson.

While position coach Stacy Searels continues to rotate players in and out, Truss’ spot in the starting lineup seems secure.

The Bulldogs have had the same starting five in all of their games this season.

“It (Truss’ journey) wasn’t any different based on where he’s from geographically than it was for anybody. They’re not used to the high-intensity reps, but he’s now accustomed to that,” Smart said. “He’s much more physical, he’s been really good in terms of displacement on gap plays, and doing a really good job of creating an identity on the offensive line. I’m so proud of how far he’s come.”

Former Georgia head coach Vince Dooley is back home after being hospitalized due to a mild case of Covid and a touch of pneumonia.

Dooley returned home Monday, whereupon he thanked friends and fans via a statement released by the UGA athletic department.

“I’m grateful for all the cards, text messages, emails, and calls as well as the prayers and concerns,” said Dooley. “But I’m ready to go Saturday with my regular book-signing session at the UGA Bookstore and certainly the homecoming game.”

Smart echoed the thoughts of Georgia fans everywhere when asked about the coaching legend.

“He’s been tremendous. He’s represented UGA for so long with such class and just a wonderful family. He’s been integral to my success in terms of me personally from the time I was here as a player to the times I’ve known him as a coach growing up in the profession,” Smart said. “We’ve crossed paths. He would come and speak sometimes at LSU when Derek (son Derek Dooley) was there and kept with him for a long time. There’s just a lot of connected tissue there between his experience at Georgia; watching my wife when she played here, he’s meant a lot to a lot of people. I see him at practice from time to time, randomly see him at press conferences, and it’s great to see him and know he still cares so much about the program.”

When it comes to his players paying attention to others, Smart said they would do well to emulate senior linebacker Nolan Smith.

Smith is already one of the Bulldogs’ more dynamic leaders, but it’s not just his ability on the field that continues to catch Smart’s eye.

“He’s worked really hard to improve himself, really in all facets. He’s improved in all facets,” Smart said. “He doesn’t really care what other people think about him, which is a unique trait in today’s day and age where everybody worries about it. He doesn’t really care.”

What Smith does care about is doing whatever he can to help the Bulldogs win.

“He cares more about the actions, the leadership and how people play and represent Georgia. When you start talking about guys that can be impactful the rest of their life and represent Georgia the right way,” Smart said. "He does a tremendous job of doing that, and he pushes everybody to care as much as he does. That’s more than just the ability to sack a quarterback or stop the run. He can do those things, but he can do a lot of things off the field as well.”