It didn’t take Andrew Thomas long to make his presence felt in Athens. During his first season as a Bulldog, the Peach State native became a rock of consistency for Georgia, as he started all 15 games at right tackle and garnered several Freshman All-American honors.

This spring, he’s being asked to flip from right tackle to left tackle. It’s a transition many linemen are asked to make, but not all of them manage to successfully make the move. During his recent media availability, Thomas explained how the transition came about in Athens.

“(Sam Pittman and I) talked about it late in the (2017) season,” Thomas said. “I took some reps with the third and fourth team at left tackle. The transition has been pretty smooth so far. That’s what I played when I first came (to Athens).

As for the biggest difference in switching sides, the rising sophomore said the mental aspect of the move is what he finds to be the most challenging.

“The mental aspect of it. The plays are the same, but it just flips sides,” Thomas continued. “My footwork is what I’m working on now.”

Thomas has some big shoes to fill if he’s going to live up to the performance of Isaiah Wynn. Not only did Wynn increase his NFL draft stock dramatically with his play in 2017, but he was also one of Georgia’s four permanent captains for the SEC Champions and garnered First-Team All-SEC honors.

However, if his true freshman season is any indication, Thomas is more than capable of meeting, if not exceeding, the expectations that are put in front of him. How well he transitions to the most important position on the offensive line will be key for Georgia when the team takes the field this fall.