Georgia’s spring game gave a few players a real platform, but the bigger test starts now. G-Day can put a name on the map; August is where those names either stick or fade.
For tight end Jaden Reddell, offensive lineman Zykie Helton and defensive back Tyriq Green, the challenge is no longer flashing. It’s carrying that momentum into camp and beyond. Each left spring with something to build on, and each now has to prove the gains were real.
Reddell made the loudest statement of the bunch. He scored the first touchdown of the spring game and later helped create another with an explosive run, showing a kind of burst Georgia hasn’t seen from the tight end spot since Brock Bowers was in Athens.
That doesn’t mean anyone should expect Bowers-level production from Reddell. But it does mean Georgia may have found another tight end who can change how the offense looks.
The numbers are still modest - just 3 receptions through two seasons - but the direction is clear. Reddell is entering his third year in Athens, and with Oscar Delp moving on, he’s now one of the older players in the room. On Wednesday, Georgia coach Smart pointed to the work Reddell has put in behind the scenes.
“We had strength coaches get up yesterday in front of the team,” G eorgia coach Smart said on Wednesday. They’ve spent more time with our team than anyone on our staff has over the last, let’s call it four months, I don’t know, end of April, May, June, July, they spent more time with our team than anyone.
He was one of four players singled out by them for work ethic, intensity, PFE, buying in, but it’s not really in words with him. He’s not a man of a lot of words, and that’s not what PFE is.
People think passion, fire, energy is words. It’s really holding yourself accountable to work at the standard or above the standard of what the team is.
And they acknowledged him as one of the guys who’s done that.”
Green and Helton are at a different stage entirely. Both are freshmen, both came out of elite Georgia high school programs, and both were on opposite sides of the AAAAAA state championship game last season.
Green’s Buford team won that matchup, and he wasn’t the only familiar face from that program to land in Athens. Star safety KJ Bolden is there too, and he believes Green can make noise right away.
“I feel like he does that great, showing up every day and just being himself,” Bolden said of Green. “And I feel like he got a chance to - he could do something this year if he just keeps his head on straight and just keep on working. I feel like he can make a major impact.”
Helton, meanwhile, is trying to do what very few freshmen manage at Georgia: force his way into the starting lineup before the season even begins. He opened G-Day as the starting right guard and could be there again when fall arrives. Offensive tackle Earnest Greene praised both his talent and the energy he brings into the room.
“Obviously a hell of an athlete, a hell of a football player,” offensive tackle Earnest Greene said of Helton. “You wouldn’t be at this university if you weren’t, especially in the room that we’re in.
I just like to speak to the type of person that he is, you know, the character. Really an energetic guy, bubbly, light up the room type person.
Definitely a great addition for the O-line room, for what he can do on and off the field for sure.”
Georgia has seen freshmen seize the moment before. Juan Gaston and Dontrell Glover did it a year ago, turning strong fall camp showings into real playing time on the offensive line. But the program has also seen plenty of promising spring performers hit a wall once the grind gets heavier.
Lawson Luckie had a strong spring as a freshman before an August ankle injury changed the course of his first season. He still developed into a winning player, just on a slower timeline than some expected.
Chase Linton’s first year was also interrupted by injury, which is why his strong spring wasn’t exactly a surprise. Now he has to keep that momentum rolling after being limited last season.
That’s the line for this group, and for Georgia as a whole. Spring can hint at what’s coming. Fall camp decides what actually shows up.
“I’m excited about this team, got a lot of growth needed,” Smart said. “We have to test toughness, and a word we talk about a lot around here is grit. We’ve got to find out what kind of grit we got during this camp, so when we get in these fourth quarter battles, we can win them.”
In Other News...
Stetson Bennett Just Kept His Rams Opportunity Very Much Alive
Stetson Bennett is still in the mix as the Rams sort out their quarterback room behind Matthew Stafford, and the setup gives him a real chance to stick. With rookie Ty Simpson also in the picture, the preseason becomes an important proving ground for both players, especially with the first exhibition game offering the first live chance to show how each handles the job.
For Bennett, the timing matters because every snap now carries more weight in a competition that is still open but tilted in his favor. The Rams have a clear starter in Stafford, and the question hanging over camp is which young passer can turn these preseason opportunities into something the team trusts when it finalizes the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Stetson Bennett's NFL Future Just Got A Lot More Uncertain
Stetson Bennetts path to sticking with the Rams took another hit this week as Los Angeles continues sorting out its preseason quarterback plan. Matthew Stafford will sit out the exhibition slate with his usual regular-season job secure, and head coach Sean McVay said Ty Simpson is expected to get the preseason starts under center.
For Bennett, who is in the final year of his contract, the uncertainty is the bigger issue than the depth-chart mechanics. The Rams have not made a final call on whether he will play at all in the preseason, leaving his roster case hanging in a way that matters well beyond August and adding another layer of uncertainty to his NFL future. [Read more 🡒]