ATHENS — Georgia had its most productive game of the season from a pass rushing perspective against Mississippi State.

Georgia finished with 3.0 sacks after entering the game with just 8.0 on the season. The Bulldogs also had a season-high 6.0 tackles for loss in the 41-21 win.

One noticeable tweak was the insertion of freshman linebacker Zayden Walker. While Walker’s box score contributions weren’t overwhelming — he had 3 tackles on 12 snaps — his ascension into the rotation is all the more noticeable.

“Yeah, he’s a heck of a football player,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He had a tough missed tackle on the quarterback draw, but he’s one of the guys that flashes in terms of size, speed. He needs confidence in his ability, but I like his work ethic. If he continues to grow, he’s like one of these planes taking off. He’s starting to elevate. He’s starting to get better, and where can it go? He’s got a high ceiling if he continues to work hard.”

Walker’s hype was somewhat muted when he arrived at Georgia despite being the No. 1 ranked linebacker in the country. He wasn’t expected to play much, what with CJ Allen, Raylen Wilson, Chris Cole and Justin Williams all ahead of him on the depth chart. Wilson, Cole and Williams were all also 5-star recruits.

Walker fits a similar archetype of recent Georgia linebackers in that he played more outside linebacker than off-ball linebacker in high school. Jalon Walker and Quay Walker, both recent first-round draft picks, did the same before blossoming at Georgia.

It took time before they became disruptive players for Georgia. The same will be true for Zayden Walker, no relation, even if he’s already forcing his way onto the field.

“Zayden, I think he’s a great player, honestly,” defensive back Joenel Aguero said. “I think he’s going to be good for us, and I think he has the ability to do special things for us. Just seeing him make a play today, that got me fired up. And I see all the work he puts in throughout the week, and seeing him work to day [was great].”

We’re at the point in the season where someone like Walker is no longer really a freshman. He’s been with the program since December and has now appeared in five games on the season. He’s no longer a redshirt candidate after Saturday’s game.

Walker isn’t alone in terms of pseudo-graduating from freshman status. Elyiss Williams and Landon Roldan have both earned reps on the offensive side, even when the game was still very much in the balance.

Georgia signed the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in the country last season. The emergence of Walker and others validate why that group was so highly thought of coming into college.

“Confidence, cumulative reps we’re big on here,” Smart said on Monday. “Meaning the cumulative reps that each one of those guys have taken has grown. I mentioned CJ Wiley in that with Landon and Elyiss, Zayden and there’s other guys. Some people’s progression is just different than others. But as they grow and get better, and they get put in these tough situations in practice, they grow confidence.”

Walker helps fill a need, specifically as a Swiss Army Knife defender in third down. While he’s not yet an every down player, Georgia knows he can help this team as it wraps up SEC play and pushes toward yet another College Football Playoff berth.

“ I’ve seen a ton of progress from Zayden,” Wilson said. “Just picking up the playbook, just staying late after practice to meet extra. Just everything. He’s doing everything right, so he deserves to be on that field.”