Since Kirby Smart’s arrival in Athens in 2016, the offensive line has been a strength of each Georgia team that has taken the field. The 2024 version will be no different.
Smart and offensive line coach Stacy Searels like to rotate about 7ish players across the first team line, both to help keep players fresh and to provide key playing time for development. Additionally, members of the offensive line will often cross-train across multiple positions on the line to better cover for injuries.
With the above being true, there seems to be a clear cut starting five heading into the season:
LT Earnest Greene III
LG Dylan Fairchild
C Jared Wilson
RG Tate Ratledge
RT Xavier Truss
ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Jordan Reid recently released an NFL prospect article that listed Fairchild and Ratledge as day 2 prospects, Greene III and Truss as Day 3 prospects with the potential to rise, and Wilson as a player to watch as someone who can vault into the draft. There is serious potential that all five starting linemen will be drafted in 2025.
Starting from left to right, Greene III enters his second season anchoring Carson Beck’s blindside. Greene III was named an All-SEC Freshman and a Freshman All-American in 2023, and I would be surprised if he didn’t jump into the second day of the 2025 NFL Draft. The SEC media voted him as a member of the Preseason All-SEC Third Team. Plus, we will always have this video of him ruining a Florida defensive back’s day from last year’s Cocktail Party.
Left guard Dylan Fairchild is the first of three UGA offensive linemen to be named to the Outland Trophy Watchlist that annually goes to the best linemen (offense or defense) in college football. Arriving in Athens as a top 100 recruit nationally out of West Forsyth High School in Cumming, GA, Fairchild started 10 games in 2023 for Georgia and posted an 86.8 pass-blocking grade per PFF, good for fourth in the Power Five. Furthermore, he was named a member of the Preseason All-SEC Second Team.
Jared Wilson takes over at center from DGD Sedrick Van Pran. Before having earned his first start at Georgia, Wilson has been named to the Rimington Award Watchlist for the best center in the nation. Wilson saw playing time in every game aside from the Orange Bowl in 2023 and earned a 70.2 PFF grade in a reserve role.
Right guard Tate Ratledge is viewed as the premier offensive lineman for Georgia in 2024. Ratledge has been named to the Outland Trophy Watchlist, the Preseason All-SEC First Team, and some 2025 NFL mocks have even listed him as a first-round pick. Ratledge is also receiving love from PFF, who named him the best pass-blocking interior lineman in the nation. The 2023 Second Team All-American will be a vital piece for Searels’ line in 2024.
Xavier Truss is the old head of the offensive line, having seen game action for Georgia in every season since 2019 (!!!). The sixth-year senior was named a Second Team All-SEC member in 2023 and was named to that same team for preseason 2024. Entering his third season as a starter on the line, Truss is the third and final player for Georgia to be named to the Outland Trophy Watchlist.
After the starting five, junior Micah Morris will be the first man up off the bench and a key member of the offensive line rotation. Morris was a part of the rotation in 2023, and he has been cross-training at center to provide additional depth across the line.
The 2024 recruiting class saw Georgia sign seven offensive linemen, headline by Daniel Calhoun from Marietta, Georgia. Following guys like Brandon Kublanow and Dom Blaylock in the Walton High School to UGA pipeline, Calhoun was the #66 recruit per the 247 Composite and should see plenty of playing as part of the offensive line rotation.
Look, we know elite offensive line play is a key focus for every one of Kirby Smart’s Georgia teams, and the offensive line will once again be a strength in 2024. The starting five are receiving national accolades, the rotation is deep, and the depth is littered with blue-chip prospects. These guys have the talent and experience to pave the way for the offense to be among the best units in the nation in 2024.