In the four recruiting classes of the Kirby Smart era at Georgia, there have been eight offensive linemen who have signed with the Bulldogs as top-100 national prospects.
Half of those eight - left tackle Andrew Thomas, center Trey Hill, right guard Ben Cleveland and right tackle Isaiah Wilson - have been occupying first-team roles as the Bulldogs go through another preseason camp with lofty expectations. The top two backups - Cade Mays and Jamaree Salyer - were top-100 national recruits as well.
Then there is 6-foot-4, 330-pound redshirt junior Solomon Kindley, a three-star prospect in the 2016 class who started all 14 games at left guard last season and is maintaining that role.
"I definitely had to prove myself coming out of high school," Kindley said in a news conference this week. "I wasn't very highly recruited. I had three stars the entire time, so a lot of teams looked over me.
"I weighed a lot and didn't come from a very big high school, so when I got to this level, I had something to prove."
Kindley was the nation's No. 1,051 prospect in the 2016 class according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings out of Raines High in Jacksonville. The Florida Times-Union reported that Kindley weighed close to 400 pounds at one point before shedding 46 during his last three seasons at Raines.
Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman obviously liked what he saw in Kindley, who laughed earlier this week when he recalled blowing a layup at a Raines basketball practice with Pittman in attendance.
"I just truly feel blessed by this opportunity, and I'm going to take it day by day," Kindley said. "I thank Coach Smart and Coach Pittman for giving me the scholarship and for allowing me to become the player I am today."
After redshirting in 2016, Kindley earned Freshman All-SEC honors the following season, when he played in all 15 games and made seven starts at right guard for a team that racked up 13 victories and reached the national championship game. He is entering this year having received preseason second-team All-SEC recognition but is using that as even more motivation.
Kindley was a Coffee County Hustle Award winner for his performance this past spring, so he does not seem to be one who is resting on his laurels - not that Pittman would let him.
"Coach Pittman gets on you no matter what," Kindley said with a smile. "He gets on Andrew, and Andrew is supposed to be the No. 1 offensive lineman in the country. He gets on Andrew if he messes up. He gets on me, and he'll get on a fourth-stringer who just came in."
The Bulldogs held a two-hour practice Thursday in helmets and pads after having Wednesday off. They will have a closed practice Friday and scrimmage for the first time Saturday.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.