With spring practice now complete, there’s good and bad news regarding both lines of scrimmage for Georgia heading into fall camp.

Considering how the best teams in the SEC are typically built around strong offensive and defensive lines, it’s easy to see why Kirby Smart feels this way.

"Yeah, we've got great size up there. I think when you look across the teams we play, the upper echelon, and the best teams in our conference, they win with the line of scrimmage,” Smart said. “We're probably not as good on the line of scrimmage as we have been in the last three to four years. We've got time to get there, and we've got to get there. It's just hard because you've got less defensive linemen and offensive linemen than we've ever had before, and we seem younger.”

Georgia fans who attended Saturday’s G-Day game at Sanford Stadium could see that for themselves.

The absence of Tate Ratledge, Jared Wilson, Xavier Truss, and Dylan Fairchild means the Bulldogs will replace four starters on their offensive line.

Depending on your point of view, that could either be a good or bad thing.

Georgia’s struggles in the run game have been widely discussed with good reason.

The Bulldogs ranked next-to-last in the SEC in averaging rushing yards per game, not a position on a team that prides itself on being ‘Running Back U.’

Nevertheless, considering Georgia’s two deep only features four players—Micah Morris, Monroe Freeling, Drew Bobo, and Earnest Greene II—who have ever started games, with the rest showing almost no game experience at all, it’s easy to understand Smart’s concern.

The challenge for position coach Stacy Searels will be a big one.

“We've had a void that we knew was coming with Dylan, Jared, Tate, Truss that's been there,” Smart said. “It's been coming for a while, so we've tried to make up for it and put the right kind of kids in those shoes, but they're not where those kids were yet.”

Youngsters will have no choice but to step up. Georgia’s success on both sides of the ball depends on it.

On the offensive line, players like redshirt freshman Michael Uini, who started at right guard in place of the injured Daniel Calhoun, are two players Georgia will need to play much more prominent roles.

Others include redshirt freshman Nyier Daniels and perhaps even true freshman Juan Gaston Jr.

On Saturday, Bo Hughley started at first-team left tackle instead of the injured Freeling, along with players like Jamal Merriweather and Jah Jackson, who must continue their respective games.

Greene feels steps are being made, although there’s work to do.

“From the start spring practice one to spring practice three right now, I feel like the guys are a lot more together,” Greene said. “Improvements, all that stuff, is going to come, and it has to come to be a better offensive line. I feel like the thing that was kind of concerning this offseason was how the guys are going to mesh and mold together. But I’ve honestly been extremely excited to see that this spring. Guys on the O-line coming together and guys playing for each other.”

Georgia’s defensive line is in similar straits, as key personnel have to be replaced.

“We lost Warren (Brinson), Naz (Nazir Stackhouse), Mykel (Williams), Ty (Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins); there’s a lot of guys leaving that room,” Smart said. “That’s a lot of big bodies for us that had to be replaced, so we were not where we need to be on the line of scrimmage. I’m very pleased with the kids we have; I’m just not pleased with where we are. We have to get better.”

With Christen Miller missing spring recovering from surgery, there weren’t a lot of familiar faces.

However, there were some positive signs.

Junior Jordan Hall looked wholly recovered from last year’s stress fracture injuries, showing his ability as an interior havoc maker during Saturday’s scrimmage.

Ditto former South Carolina player Xzavier McLeod and second-year players like Nasir Johnson, Jordan Thomas, and Nnamdi Ogboko.

We heard second-year player Joseph Jonah-Ajonye have his name called several times.

True freshman Elijah Griffin showed what his buzz has been all about, making several nice place, including a stop behind the line of scrimmage on an end around.

“I've seen improvement from that group. I think Trey (Scott) does a tremendous job with his group. We've not had Christen (Miller) out there, obviously, with the surgery. So, there's been a lot of young guys getting work. I've really been impressed with Nnamdi (Ogboko) and Jordan (Thomas), and Nas (Johnson). They're working their tail off to get better. They're buying in,” Smart said. “They've seen what Trey has done with guys in their second year, with guys in their third year, and then guys in their fourth year really do well here. So, they're buying into that.”