Off-week well-timed for a Georgia offensive line dealing with injuries, youth

ATHENS — Most teams might not like having an off-week this early in the season.

Internally, the Bulldogs are happy to have this week off. Especially when it comes to the offensive line.

“Well, Juan is trying to get healthy,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Tuesday. “He came in, Donnie (Dontrell Glover) got a little banged up, and (Gaston) came in and helped Donnie out there for a period of time. Then he had another ankle that was bothering him, and he came out, and they just kept going back and forth. But he’s not completely all the way healed and trying to get well. So we’re just trying to get all those guys back so they can get better.”

With Gaston out, Glover made his first career start Saturday. The freshman, who arrived at Georgia this summer instead of in January with most of the 2025 signing class, has impressed quickly in his time in Athens.

Before this season, Georgia hadn’t had a freshman start on the offensive line since 2018. Now it has had two start in Georgia’s first three games of the season.

“This guy shows up, and he played on a great high school program (Langston Hughes High),” Smart said of Glover on Saturday. “Well-coached, really well-coached offensive line, and walks in and just starts playing, and he’s natural, picking things up. I mean, where would we be without him right now? He has been a blessing for us.”

Glover played 69 of Georgia’s 95 snaps Saturday. Gaston played the other 26.

The split at right tackle was even more muddled. Greene started but was able to play only 32 snaps Saturday before giving way to Michael Uini.

Now it’s back to the drawing board for Georgia.

“He certainly was not 100% and tried to go out there and go and give us all he could,” Smart said. “I think his endurance and the stamina part was hard in that kind of game, to go out there and just jump back in and play. Then you need to work on it and try to figure out what the best lineup is for everybody.”

In total, Georgia ran 95 offensive plays Saturday, by the far the most of any game this season. Even in shortened stints, Greene and Gaston played season-highs in snaps for the Georgia offensive line.

The off-week gives Georgia time to get more reps for its younger, less experienced offensive linemen. Smart opened his news conference Tuesday speaking about how Georgia can use this week not only to get first-team players more reps, but also backups.

“Well, any work helps them grow,” Smart said. “Walk-throughs help them, meetings help them. I mean, they’re just, the ceiling is, they’re so far from their ceiling because they haven’t had the same amount of work. But we also have to be healthy, which makes it hard because you’re balancing health and reps and trying to get guys back healthy.”

Georgia’s next game does not get any easier, as the Bulldogs welcome Alabama to Sanford Stadium on Sept. 27. The Bulldogs are only 1-6 against the Crimson Tide under Smart.