Kirby Smart got a chuckle at Georgia's Tuesday practice.

He watched as highly-touted freshmen Bear Alexander and Christen Miller had their struggles. The two first-year players were working with the Bulldog scout team and "getting just drilled" going against the first-team Georgia offensive line.

Nearby sat junior defensive lineman Zion Logue. Over the past few years, Smart saw Logue fight his share of battles against the likes of Jamaree Salyer, Trey Hill, and others.

Those scout-team experiences made Logue the player he is today. Smart knows the same will eventually happen for Alexander, Miller, and other young Bulldogs.

"We've been talking all of this week that growth requires patience," Smart said. "Some kids don't really understand what that is. Growth definitely requires patience. If you don't get it right the first time or the second time, it requires patience."

Many of Georgia's key contributors this season spent time on the scout team. It has become a staple of Smart's program. Before players see the field in meaningful action, they first earn their stripes on the scout team.

The marks of that unit are seen all over the field. Stetson Bennett, Kearis Jackson, Darnell Washington, Zion Logue, Dan Jackson—those are just a few of the Bulldogs who began their careers by giving the starters a preview of the upcoming opponent.

"2019, that was the year that molded me," Logue said. "Andrew Thomas, Solomon Kindley, Trey Hill, Cade Mays or Ben Cleveland, then you’ve got Isaiah Wilson. When you look across and you see that line, there' nothing that can prepare you more for SEC football. I feel like that really played a big thing in my life."

The scout team's effective development is aided by the talent those players go against. In Logue's case, for example, he faced six future NFL draft picks.

Washington has developed into one of the best blockers on the team. But in high school, the five-star tight end hardly blocked at all. He received a crash course in 2020 by blocking Azeez Ojulari and Travon Walker on a daily basis.

Jackson went against future NFL players like Eric Stokes, Tyson Campbell, and Deandre Baker early in his career. He recalls that he and his fellow scout-teamers took their duties very seriously, especially in the lead-up to the 2018 SEC Championship Game.

"It molded me into the player I am because I was able to go against first-rounders every day, being on the scout team," Jackson said. "Having a quarterback who can get us the ball, it was just fun, because we were really just out there running other teams’ plays. But at the same time, we were making our defense better because we cared a lot about the scout team."

Those Bulldogs have gone from the scout team to become major contributors. The 2022 scout team is already molding the future of Georgia football.

Freshman quarterback Gunner Stockton is heading up the scout offense. Jackson said Stockton is giving the defense some of the best looks he's ever seen from a scout quarterback.

"He hasn't had to deal with the information overload," Smart said. "A lot of times, you find out a lot about a guy on the scout team because he is looking at a card. There's no thought process. There's no, 'I have to say this, I have to do this.' You take the robot out and you play. He's played well on the scout team."

Washington praised freshman outside linebacker Marvin Jones Jr. as a player that has improved. Jones has worked on using his hands to effectively shed blocks.

Stockton, Jones, Miller, Alexander—they're all working just like the grizzled veterans did years ago. While they're helping the first-team units prepare in the short term, they are also making their case to one day fill those shoes.

"If you make a play or something on that scout team, Coach Smart, they look at all the film," Jackson said. "You’re going to be able to see what you can do and how can they help us as a team. I feel like our guys, they don’t take that for granted. It’s our resume. Whatever you put on tape, that’s who you are as a player."