ATHENS — There’s an old saying that “The players always know” when it comes down to having a handle on what’s really going down in the locker room and on the playing field.

So it was that eyebrows shot up when Georgia junior receiver Sacovie White-Helton confirmed the rumblings of freshman Kaiden Prothro’s impressive progress in the offense.

“He’s shaping into a player that’s going to be an issue for people,” White-Helton said during his press interview on Wednesday.

Prothro arrived at UGA for the spring semester with the hype that typically accompanies a player ranked in the nation’s top-40 (per 247Sports composite), and his G-Day performance did little to quell the enthusiasm.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Prothro led both G-Day teams with 46 yards receiving, making five catches, one of which went for a 6-yard touchdown.

“He’s like a hybrid; he can play tight end and at (receiver),” White-Helton said. “Just watching a young guy be able to take all this information and go back and forth — come from the tight ends room and then meet with us (receivers) one day, and then go back there.”

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It would seem like a lot to take in, but as tight ends coach Todd Hartley explained last week, Georgia wants to get the best out of Prothro right now even as he develops into more of a tight end.

“It doesn’t mean he’s not a tight end right now, but his skill set is that he can run routes and he can catch passes and he has a good catch radius,” Hartley said. “But for his long-term development he’s probably drafted as an NFL tight end.

“So it’s our job to get him ready to do that, but in the short term, we also want to showcase what he does well, and maybe that is in the slot, or maybe that is a little bit at tight end.”

Georgia’s strategy to use Prothro more at receiver makes sense when one considers the youth and inexperience in the receivers room compared with the great depth and talent the Bulldogs have returning at tight end.

Prothro was one of the more impressive pass catchers in the two-hour Georgia football practice held on Sunday, Aug. 9, that was open to subscribers of UGA’s “Glory Glory” NIL media initiative.

The true freshman caught everything thrown his way, appearing to run crisp patterns and find holes in the secondary.

Even when covered tightly, Prothro showed a knack for knowing how to use his body to shield the defenders from potential pass break-ups.

It was one of many hot practices in fall drills, but Prothro appeared as strong and fit as any of his teammates, finishing at or near full speed.

“He hasn’t been broken since he’s been here,” White-Helton noted.

Perhaps not, but Hartley indicated Prothro can get even better with more hard work and coaching.

“He is very unique as far as his ability to catch the football and his matchup ability,” Hartley said. “But he has a long way to go, he has a lot to learn about playing tight end, he has a lot to learn about playing receiver, as well.”