Georgia focusing on getting bigger in 2016

ATHENS -- Georgia head coach Kirby Smart knows what his team's biggest needs are coming off of National Signing Day.

"I would definitely say that getting bigger is a goal of ours," Smart said. "We want to get bigger up front on both sides of the ball. I would say we've most certainly addressed that on the defensive line. I think when you go to the offensive line, it's not exactly what we want. We want some offensive tackles."

Georgia pulled in three offensive line and four defensive line recruits Wednesday. With Georgia losing starting offensive linemen John Theus and Kolton Houston, the offensive line definitely serves as a much bigger need for the Bulldogs and a harder one to fill. That makes the loss of four-star tackle E.J. Price to USC all the more difficult.

"Offensive tackles is what we need," Smart said. "I think if you combed the country and asked every SEC coach, he's going to say, 'We're most deficient at offensive tackle.' It's the rarest find. You want a 6-5, 6-6 kid. They don't grow on trees."

Overall, Georgia did better recruiting defensive linemen and more importantly, defensive linemen with size, even after losing five-star Derrick Brown to Auburn.

With four-stars Julian Rochester, Michail Carter and Tyler Clark and three-star defensive end David Marshall, Georgia's defensive linemen average a .9215 247 composite rating and each of the first three comes in at 290 pounds or more.

"I'm very pleased with where we are on the defensive line," Smart said. "We've got some good young players, and we're trying to continue that. A lot of times if you can just recruit size and good football players you leave yourself open to other areas on the offensive line."

Pairing those players with returning sophomores Jonathan Ledbetter and Trent Thompson, Georgia has some depth at the position, even if it is young.

While that might be an early concern for the coaching staff, Rochester is confident that the young players can step in and contribute.

"I feel like we're going to bring just a nastiness and aggressiveness because as a freshman, you have to prove yourself," Rochester said. "We're going to come out here and ball. We're trying to knock heads off. I already see that in David (Marshall), I see that in myself, and I really see that in Tyler Clark. I really feel like we're fixing to come out here, and with Michail Carter coming through, another big body, I feel like us four freshmen are ready to make an impact."

Rochester is the player most poised to see early snaps with a 6-foot-5, 327-pound frame and an extra spring practice season over his fellow freshmen to get in the weight room. Instead of putting on size, however, he wants to trim down to 307 before the start of the season, if possible, to give himself the versatility to play on the interior or exterior of the defensive line.

"(I want to) strengthen myself and get ready for the SEC matchups and put myself in the best condition and body type that I can actually be in to play four downs," Rochester said. "I don't want to play one or two. I want to be first down stop the run, second down stop the run and third down lets get the passer."

Throughout his high school career, Rochester said he played more of a three- and five-technique on the defensive line, closer to the tackles. In this way, he models himself after Dolphins lineman Ndamukong Suh and wants to see that aggressive style of play from the entire group.

"I fell in love with Suh," Rochester said. "Just nasty and aggressive. That's how I chose to play high school ball, just, I'm going to be meaner than you. ... That's what I try to model my game off of. Yeah, there might be some nasty things that go on in there but that's part of playing in the trenches."

In order for that to manifest, however,, the entire group is going to have to make a lot of physical changes through the offseason strength and conditioning program.

For skill position players, it tends to be easier to step in as a true freshman and make contributions. Linemen, however, have to increase their strength significantly and make other adjustments to their bodies in order to stand up to the more physical nature of the trenches for an entire season.

It's in that offseason program that the fate of this group of young linemen, on both sides of the ball, will be decided.

"We obviously want every freshman to contribute," Smart said. "Physical development in the SEC is a great challenge. But if you're going to play as a freshman, it usually comes easier at skill positions than it does at the O-line or D-line because the physical development is so different."

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 8:15 PM with the headline "Georgia focusing on getting bigger in 2016 ."