ATHENS — The picture that hangs above Micah Morris’ locker is the same one that was there when he entered the program from high school.
It has been a long time since Morris was a fresh-faced 17-year-old at Georgia. He’s the last remaining member from Georgia’s 2021 signing class, which included Brock Bowers, Amarius Mims, Brock Vandagriff and others.
Some of those fellow signees are in the NFL. Others left to finish their careers at other schools.
Morris remains at Georgia, eager to share what he’s learned with his teammates.
“If anything, it’s kind of funny because anytime coach (Kirby) Smart looks for older guys, it’s always my name that comes up,” Morris told reporters this week. “Like you said, I’m the last one, so it’s only me. But I just try to just give wisdom, maybe that’s the right word, just the wisdom to the younger guys. I’ve seen it all, the two national championships back to back, SEC championships, multiple appearances. Just trying to just give wisdom, just knowledge to them, and knowing that if you trust the process, it’ll work out.”
Morris made his first career start last season for Georgia, trotting out with the first-team offense against Alabama.
He made five starts, but then missed time with an ankle injury. The shuffling of lines and injuries were a consistent theme for Georgia’s offensive line in 2024 and reasons it underperformed.
If the group is to get back to its previous standard, Morris is going to have to emerge as a consistent contributor and leader.
“You never know when your number’s going to be called,” Morris said. “So everybody in the offensive line unit as a whole has to be ready and just work towards that goal, knowing that your number can be called. And when it’s called, you’ve got to step up.”
When hearing Morris speak, it’s clear Jamaree Salyer had a significant influence on his career. The two were teammates on the 2021 Georgia team, when Morris was a freshman and Salyer was the senior leader of the line.
Salyer’s move to guard in the 2022 College Football Playoff Championship game helped spur on the Georgia offense in a game they won 33-18. After working as a swing guard for years, Morris likely will finally settle in as an every-down guard for Georgia.
The Bulldogs need him to be a consistent force on the offensive line. He knows and understands that.
“Micah has obviously played a lot of snaps, and he’s a veteran guy going on his fifth year,” center Drew Bobo said. “I think he’s done a really good job leading us and pulling us along because I played a couple games, but not as many as Micah has played. He’s pulled us along, and he’s kind of showing the younger guys ways to do it. He’s been doing really well this spring, and different young guys have been rotating in and getting opportunities, and I think it’s good for them to get a chance to play and try to prove themselves.”
Morris knows he’s grown a lot from the time he first arrived at Georgia in the spring of 2021. He’s experienced all the highs that come from winning a national championship to the lows of last season, when he battled injuries on a struggling offensive line.
When he looks up at his locker, he’s seen how far he’s come in his time at Georgia. He’s proud of what he’s done, even as he no longer recognizes the kid in the picture.
But he knows he’s still got more to accomplish. That’s why he’s remained at Georgia for all this time.
“This is where I committed to whenever I was in high school,” Morris said. “This is where I wanted to be, what I wanted to do, be a Georgia Bulldog. So whatever comes with it, I mean, that’s what I’m going push through. I mean, my dad said, if you start something, you’ve got to finish it. So just putting my head down and work, that’s it.”
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