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Georgia's veterans have taken notice of Zykie Helton

Jeremy Johnsonby: Jeremy Johnson03/24/26JeremyO_Johnson

Georgia has one padded practice in the book so far this spring and the legend of freshman Zykie Helton continues to grow. What began as preseason whispers and hype from a dominant state championship game and high school career has become tangible, on-the-field noise from the early enrollee.

Helton had an accomplished high school career playing a few different positions on the Carrollton offensive line and defensive lines. He started for four years in the highest classification in the Peach State.

The rising freshman is turning heads in Athens. Georgia’s veterans have taken notice. Before the Bulldogs had even practiced at all, senior linebacker Raylen Wilson pointed to Helton as one of the young offensive linemen who had already grabbed his attention.

“I like the new offensive guard, Zykie Helton,” Wilson told reporters. “I feel like he’s going to be good. He likes to communicate on the line. As a young guy, as a young offensive lineman, you really don’t see that often.”

Zykie Helton gets flattering comparison

Helton’s name popped up again on Tuesday. Georgia junior outside linebacker Quintavius Johnson had the chance to see Helton up close over the weekend as the Bulldogs put on the pads for the first time.

Johnson compared Helton to rising sophomore Dontrell Glover, who started as a true freshman last season.

“We’ve only been in pads for one day, and someone that sticks out is Zykie (Helton),” Johnson told reporters on Tuesday. “He’s a freshman, he plays center guard, things like that…He’s just being real physical, and he kind of plays like Donnie (Glover).”

Georgia is constantly creating competition

Senior offensive tackle Earnest Greene shed a little light on the depth in Athens. Georgia had two freshmen show up and earn starting roles in their first year last season in Glover and Gaston. As an older player, Greene can appreciate seeing new players emerge quickly. It’s part of the culture at Georgia.

The Bulldogs recruit talented players every year.

“That’s what you come to Georgia for,” Greene said. “There’s always somebody else coming in, and everybody here is immensely talented. I just love to see young guys come in and put in the work every day.”

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