Georgia seems to have found another diamond in the rough with this freshman

“All our young guys are working hard,” linebacker Raylen Wilson said. “I like the new offensive guard, Zykie Helton, I feel like he’s gonna be good. He likes to communicate on that line. As a young guy, as a young O-line, you really don’t see that often.”

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds, he’s built more like a fire hydrant than the T-800 Terminators that most Georgia offensive linemen look like. In high school, Helton was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, which led to a massive drop in weight. Helton previously told Jeff Sentell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Helton lost more than 100 pounds during his sophomore season of high school.

It’s understandable why Helton would fall through the cracks in the recruiting industrial complex. But Helton’s talent has never been in question. He was good enough to earn a committable offer to Alabama before his diagnosis.

Georgia made a push for Helton, who committed to the Bulldogs in June of last year. He took official visits to Georgia Tech and Alabama as well, but the Bulldogs won out for a player who is looking like an instant impact addition.

Helton played for Carrollton High School, a football factory that routinely competes for state championships.

Helton nearly hand-delivered another one to the Trojans last year when he had 3.0 sacks in the state championship game in Buford. He was unblockable with his impressive strength and a motor that doesn’t shut off. While Georgia doesn’t view Helton as a long-term defensive lineman, it’s clear he possesses football attributes that can’t fully be measured.

Buford beat Helton’s Trojans that night, but excitement continued to build for what Helton would bring to Athens.

Prior to the 2025 season, it would’ve been hard to see any offensive lineman making an immediate impact at Georgia. Andrew Thomas was the last offensive lineman to start the first game of the season and Thomas was also the last to start at least 10 games as a true freshman. Thomas became an All-American at Georgia and was the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

But Juan Gaston started the season at right guard. An early-season injury opened the door for fellow freshman Dontrell Glover to take over as the team’s starting right guard. Glover earned a spot on the SEC’s All-Freshman team for his play last season, where he started 11 games.

Like Helton, Glover arrived in Athens after playing for an elite Georgia high school program in Langston Hughes. That level of success paved the way for an easier understanding of what Georgia wanted from its young offensive linemen.

Georgia outside linebacker Quintavius Johnson notes there is a nastiness to Glover’s game that suits an offensive guard. He sees the same level of physicality in Helton’s game.

It helped Glover that Georgia had to replace four starters from its 2024 offensive line. With Glover back, Georgia doesn’t have to overhaul its offensive line in quite the same manner this offseason.

It does have to replace two starters, with Monroe Freeling and Micah Morris moving on to the NFL. Georgia is also without starting center Drew Bobo this spring, as he recovers from foot surgery.

Those absences gave Helton the chance to take more reps than he would normally be afforded.

So far, he’s made the absolute most of those extra opportunities.

“I’ve been hearing a lot of good stuff about I think it’s Zykie Helton,” Freeling said, unsure if that was the correct way to pronounce his name. “One of our freshmen. A lot of good stuff about him.”

There’s still a long way to go between now and the start of the Georgia season. Helton is going to have to keep working if he’s to carve out a spot on the Georgia offensive line. This time last year, Glover wasn’t even with the program as he arrived over the summer.

Last spring, it would’ve seemed far-fetched for a freshman to step in and help on the offensive line.

“I think the offensive line is probably the position that has the most need for coaches and eyes, because it’s a developmental position,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Guys do not come in here ready to play, so we need a lot of guys to help with those units to get them better.”

But Glover bucked the trend last year. And Georgia seems to have found another under-ranked prospect in Helton who may be the most impactful member of his signing class.

“That’s what you come to Georgia for. There’s always, you know, somebody else coming in,” offensive tackle Earnest Greene said. “Everybody here is immensely talented and stuff like that. So, you know, you just love to see young guys come in and put in the work every day. I’m really excited to see who we finish out as.”