Truss, Ratledge Leading The Way Up Front
September 13, 2024 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
It's one thing to understand, after years of interactions, that Xavier Truss has been a Georgia football player for a long time. It's something else to hear the sixth-year offensive lineman say Monday that one of the best leaders he's seen in all his years with the Bulldogs was Andrew Thomas.
That's the same Andrew Thomas who was a freshman starter at tackle on the 2017 squad that beat Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl and played for a national championship. Thomas was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and is in his fifth season as a starter with the New York Giants. Thomas was a junior in 2019, the year that Truss arrived from Rhode Island as a freshman and redshirted (he played against Murray State, Arkansas State and Georgia Tech).
"I played one year with Andrew; (time) goes by really fast," said the 6-foot-7 and 320-pound Truss, who has started the first two games this season at right tackle.
Tate Ratledge, who starts next to Truss at right guard, is a fifth-year player. He appeared in one game in 2020, off the bench against Auburn. He was in the starting lineup at right guard for the 2021 season opener against Clemson, only to suffer a season-ending injury on the third play of the game. Going into this season's opener against the Tigers, Ratledge joked that he was just "hoping to make it longer this year."
He did. In the top-ranked Bulldogs' 34-3 rout of then-No. 14 Clemson, Ratledge and Truss helped Georgia rush for 169 yards and two touchdowns, and gave quarterback Carson Beck time to throw for 278 yards and two TDs. Last week against overmatched Tennessee Tech, an FCS program, the Bulldogs piled up 332 yards through the air — Beck threw five touchdown passes — and rushed for 116 in a 48-3 win.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs begin SEC play at Kentucky. Last week, the Wildcats were soundly beaten, 31-6, at home against South Carolina. The Bulldogs aren't going into Lexington expecting anything to come easily,
"A lot of things went wrong quickly for them in that game, and it snowballed in some ways," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "I know what they're capable of. I've seen them on tape. I know the football players they got. I know how physical they are. I know how they're coached. And we've got to get ready for a really tough opponent."
In 2022, Ratledge started 14 games, and he was both a first-team All-SEC pick and second-team All-American last season after starting 13 games and helping the Bulldogs again have one of the top offensive lines in the country.
Now, Truss and Ratledge, who each have 30 career starts, tied for the most on the team with All-American safety Malaki Starks, are among the veteran leaders of the line, the offense and the whole team. They've seen and done just about everything in their careers, from the highs of winning to national championships and 48 of their last 50 games overall, to the low of losing last year's SEC Championship Game and missing out on the College Football Playoff.
One of the keys to Georgia's success, Truss said, and it's something he preaches to the young guys, is "to be humble, and making sure they know that every day is an opportunity to get better — at every aspect, not just on the field but in life."
There might be highly-rated recruits all over the place at Georgia, but that doesn't guarantee anyone anything, Truss said.
"Knowing that there's always someone out there smarter than you, faster than you, stronger than you, and there's always room to improve," he said. "If you can buy into that and hold on to that, I think that will help you in life."
An endless curiosity serves the guys well, too. After all these years of playing football, Ratledge is as fascinated by the game now as he's ever been.
"Once you get later in your career, you kind of open up to how much there is to learn about this game, whether that be safety rotations, coverages, stuff like that," he said. "A lot of things you wouldn't think you need to know as an offensive lineman, but it's something you need to start paying attention to."
Smart, when asked about Truss and another veteran, senior outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss, who met with the media Monday, said that in addition to being tough and physical football players, they "carry our culture really well."
Ratledge likely falls into that category, as well.
"Especially after getting hurt, I don't take playing football for granted," he said. "After realizing it can be taken away from me in a blink of an eye, I don't take it for granted. I think every opportunity out there is just fun for me because I get to go play football."
Staff Writer
It's one thing to understand, after years of interactions, that Xavier Truss has been a Georgia football player for a long time. It's something else to hear the sixth-year offensive lineman say Monday that one of the best leaders he's seen in all his years with the Bulldogs was Andrew Thomas.
That's the same Andrew Thomas who was a freshman starter at tackle on the 2017 squad that beat Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl and played for a national championship. Thomas was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and is in his fifth season as a starter with the New York Giants. Thomas was a junior in 2019, the year that Truss arrived from Rhode Island as a freshman and redshirted (he played against Murray State, Arkansas State and Georgia Tech).
"I played one year with Andrew; (time) goes by really fast," said the 6-foot-7 and 320-pound Truss, who has started the first two games this season at right tackle.
Tate Ratledge, who starts next to Truss at right guard, is a fifth-year player. He appeared in one game in 2020, off the bench against Auburn. He was in the starting lineup at right guard for the 2021 season opener against Clemson, only to suffer a season-ending injury on the third play of the game. Going into this season's opener against the Tigers, Ratledge joked that he was just "hoping to make it longer this year."
He did. In the top-ranked Bulldogs' 34-3 rout of then-No. 14 Clemson, Ratledge and Truss helped Georgia rush for 169 yards and two touchdowns, and gave quarterback Carson Beck time to throw for 278 yards and two TDs. Last week against overmatched Tennessee Tech, an FCS program, the Bulldogs piled up 332 yards through the air — Beck threw five touchdown passes — and rushed for 116 in a 48-3 win.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs begin SEC play at Kentucky. Last week, the Wildcats were soundly beaten, 31-6, at home against South Carolina. The Bulldogs aren't going into Lexington expecting anything to come easily,
"A lot of things went wrong quickly for them in that game, and it snowballed in some ways," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "I know what they're capable of. I've seen them on tape. I know the football players they got. I know how physical they are. I know how they're coached. And we've got to get ready for a really tough opponent."
In 2022, Ratledge started 14 games, and he was both a first-team All-SEC pick and second-team All-American last season after starting 13 games and helping the Bulldogs again have one of the top offensive lines in the country.
Now, Truss and Ratledge, who each have 30 career starts, tied for the most on the team with All-American safety Malaki Starks, are among the veteran leaders of the line, the offense and the whole team. They've seen and done just about everything in their careers, from the highs of winning to national championships and 48 of their last 50 games overall, to the low of losing last year's SEC Championship Game and missing out on the College Football Playoff.
One of the keys to Georgia's success, Truss said, and it's something he preaches to the young guys, is "to be humble, and making sure they know that every day is an opportunity to get better — at every aspect, not just on the field but in life."
There might be highly-rated recruits all over the place at Georgia, but that doesn't guarantee anyone anything, Truss said.
"Knowing that there's always someone out there smarter than you, faster than you, stronger than you, and there's always room to improve," he said. "If you can buy into that and hold on to that, I think that will help you in life."
An endless curiosity serves the guys well, too. After all these years of playing football, Ratledge is as fascinated by the game now as he's ever been.
"Once you get later in your career, you kind of open up to how much there is to learn about this game, whether that be safety rotations, coverages, stuff like that," he said. "A lot of things you wouldn't think you need to know as an offensive lineman, but it's something you need to start paying attention to."
Smart, when asked about Truss and another veteran, senior outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss, who met with the media Monday, said that in addition to being tough and physical football players, they "carry our culture really well."
Ratledge likely falls into that category, as well.
"Especially after getting hurt, I don't take playing football for granted," he said. "After realizing it can be taken away from me in a blink of an eye, I don't take it for granted. I think every opportunity out there is just fun for me because I get to go play football."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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