There's a reason offensive line coach Matt Luke earned his recent recognition from Rivals as one of the nation’s top recruiters.
One look at the Bulldogs’ offensive line haul in 2021 demonstrates why.
Five-star Amarius Mims was the state of Georgia’s top-ranked player, the No. 2 offensive lineman, and the No. 4 overall player according to Rivals.
While Mims certainly figures to make an impact with the Bulldogs sooner rather than later, head coach Kirby Smart told Mike Farrell of Rivals he's just as excited about the other three linemen who make up the 2021 class, each of whom could one day play integral roles.
“It’s a line-of-scrimmage league. You say that more and more,” Smart said. “It's a skill player league, but when you don’t have an opportunity to throw to those skilled players, Mac Jones, JT Daniels, those guys wouldn’t be standing upright if they didn’t have a great offensive line in front of them.”
That's certainly true when it comes to Micah Morris from Camden County.
At 6-foot-5 and 335 pounds, Morris is recovering from Labrum surgery and will be out for a while. Bur when he is recovered, Morris could be special.
Morris has quick feet for a young man as massive as he is, while Dylan Fairchild is over 300 pounds and, according to sources, has already opened some eyes as one of the program’s 16 early enrollees.
Although neither Morris nor Fairchild are expected to contend for a starting role this year, both possess the kind of qualities Smart and Luke look for when deciding what type of linemen to bring into the program.
“Micah Morris is a guy from Camden we really liked. We think he's going to develop into a very good player. Not only that—he's smart. Defensive lines have gotten so smart, so you’ve got to have bright guys,” Smart said. “Amarius does a great job there, and Dylan has been wonderful for us.”
North Carolina native Jared Wilson is the fourth member of the Bulldogs’ offensive line class. Although his three-star ranking might not excite fans, Smart begs to differ.
In fact, the massive player (6-3, 345) reminds Smart of another underrated guard who wound up starting for three years and is currently doing the same with the Miami Dolphins in the NFL: Solomon Kindley.
“Jared was a guy we targeted a long time ago, and one we thought was really physical. Guards in the SEC have to be able to block three-techniques, and the NFL comes to the SEC to get three-techniques because they’re your biggest, most physical pass rushers,” Smart said. “So the Solomon Kindley types—Deonte (Brown) at Alabama—you’ve got to have guys who can eat space, and that’s something where we think Jared does a very good job.”
