Trey Hill started the last four games of last season at right guard. But the Georgia Bulldogs got a glimpse of the future earlier in the year.
Hill played all but four plays of the Kentucky game at center. That the Bulldogs won the road matchup of top-10 teams 34-17 – and rushed for 331 yards in the process – was not lost on Georgia’s coaching staff.
They knew for sure they had their center of the future.
“What a big game for him. Big-time atmosphere didn’t phase him one bit,” quarterback Jake Fromm said at the time. “That’s what I love about him.”
Until then, Hill wasn’t sure what position he would play at Georgia. He was fairly confident it wouldn’t be left tackle. That was his position of choice at Houston County High – where he played with Fromm – and the one where he earned 4-star status as a recruit.
Hill did play one game at center at Houston County. It was a game against a region rival, and Hill was moved to center so he could match up against Lee County’s 5-star nose guard Aubrey Solomon (who's now at Tennessee). Hill held his own that night, but Houston County lost, and most figured the experiment was over.
But Hill, generously listed in the UGA media guide at 6-foot-4, was told up front he probably didn’t have the length to play on the outside in the SEC. He came to Georgia resigned to playing an inside position, and figured that probably would be at guard.
“Whichever one would get me on the field fastest,” said Hill, who weighs in at 330 pounds.
Georgia worked Hill at center right away upon his arrival in January 2018. When starter Lamont Gaillard went down with a hyperextended knee in the first quarter of the ninth game last season, it was Hill who got the call.
D’Andre Swift scored twice running plays off Hill’s hips in the Kentucky game. One went 20 yards to Hill’s right, the other 83 yards to Hill’s left.
Yep, the Bulldogs had a center.
Gaillard returned and continued on with his All-SEC season. Hill later was called on to step in at right guard, where both Ben Cleveland and Cade Mays went down with injuries. And that could’ve been that.
But with the Bulldogs’ depth chart being what it is – they’ve recruited a pure center out of high school each of the past two years -- Hill knew he’d need to master the many inherent skills of the center if he was going to get any playing time at that position.
And there was work to be done. As impressive as Hill was as a blocker in that Kentucky game, there were areas that needed improvement. One, was snapping the ball, where the Bulldogs had two mishaps; and the other was reading defenses and calling blocks.
To do master all that, Hill agreed to spend extra time in the film room with offensive line coach Sam Pittman and Fromm. Reports are he has become the consummate film junkie.
“I have to make all the calls for the O-line and tell everybody what they’re supposed to be doing,” Hill said. “It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s something I work on each and every day.”
Very notably, there have been no issues with the snap so far, and Georgia's offense has been dominant in its first two games. It is expected to be again Saturday when Arkansas State visits Sanford Stadium. But Hill said he’s been far from perfect, and everybody knows the real tests remain down the line, starting with No. 8 Notre Dame’s visit Sept. 21.
“I am pleased with Trey,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart. “I think if Trey can really focus on giving ‘six seconds of strain,’ that’s what I call it, he’ll improve. He’s got to strain longer and harder in order to improve. I mean, he’s playing well, but he can play better.”
Hill knows that. He fully intends to.
“I’m just trying to come in here and learn more and do more for the team,” Hill said. “I’m just trying to make everybody better. There’s a lot I can do better.”
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