Georgia Bulldogs OL Trey Hill Leaving UGA Early for the NFL Draft

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ATHENS - Georgia Bulldogs OL Trey Hill, who served as Kirby Smart’s center lately, said Monday night that he was departing the program for the 2021 NFL Draft. 

The move came after Hill missed the final few games of the Bulldogs’ season with knee surgery. In all, Hill started 22 games in a row for the Bulldogs before the injury. He played 95 percent of the Bulldogs’ offensive snaps in those games, according to records kept by UGA. 

Hill proved quite valuable in the win over Tennessee in 2020 when he made a key third-quarter recovery of a teammate's fumble - 15 yards downfield from the line of scrimmage -- to preserve what became a touchdown drive against the Vols

He was named to the watch list of the 2020 Rimington Award, which is given annually to the nation's top center. Hill was also named to the pre-season watch list for the Outland Trophy (nation's outstanding interior lineman). He was a second-team pre-season All-SEC, as picked by the media covering the league. Hill was named one of three team captains for the Kentucky game.

The loss of Hill to the NFL means the Bulldogs have now lost three underclassmen to the league. The Bulldogs will have to find a permanent replacement for Hill at center. Redshirt Sophomore Warren Ericson started for the Bulldogs at center against No. 25 Missouri and No. 8 Cincinnati. But Cedric Van Pran could also get a look at that spot in the future. 

In NFL Draft news for the Bulldogs, the big news of the day on Monday is that UGA starting QB JT Daniels appears headed back to Athens for his junior season. 

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