ATHENS — Monroe Freeling did not have the performance he wanted to in last year’s College Football Playoff loss to Notre Dame.

Freeling struggled with Notre Dame’s physical front, culminating in the then sophomore giving up a key sack that led to a Gunner Stockton fumble just before halftime.

After the game, Freeling admitted he did not play his best. He also made no mention of the shoulder injury he was playing through, which would require surgery just a few weeks later.

Nearly a year later, Freeling is a much better offensive tackle than the one who started in place of Earnest Greene at left tackle in 2024. Freeling has started 12 games for Georgia this season and played in all 13. He was twice the SEC offensive lineman of the week and named Second Team All-SEC by the league’s coaches.

“Demeanor, character, leadership, approaches the game the right way,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Freeling in November. “A growth mindset of being open to get better. He doesn’t ever think he’s arrived. He knows he can improve. He knows humility is a week away in this league because he’s blocking good players.”

Freeling has become a critical piece for Georgia in his third season in Athens. He’s played well against some of the top pass rushers in the league, doing his best to keep Gunner Stockton clean when he drops back to pass.

As Freeling and Georgia head to New Orleans again, it’ll be another chance to show how much he’s improved over the course of this season.

With Freeling being draft-eligible, those at the next level have taken notice. ESPN’s Matt Miller projects Freeling as a possible first-round pick as the College Football Playoff begins on Friday. Most draft analysts have Freeling at the bottom of the first round, with Dane Brugler of The Athletic listing him as the No. 32 overall pick in his most recent mock draft.

If Freeling can help lead Georgia on a long College Football Playoff run, he could really stand to help his draft stock.

“Freeling feels like a player who could rise up boards if he decides to jump into this draft class,” Miller wrote. “He has allowed only two sacks this season and has three years of experience at left tackle, which could cause him to rise in a class dominated by right tackles.”

Freeling won’t be the most experienced tackle in this class, as he’s started just 17 games to this point in his college career.

But Broderick Jones and Amarius Mims weren’t either, yet they both went on to become first-round picks in their respective draft classes. Freeling has many of the same physical gifts that Jones and Mims possessed.

One thing to note with Freeling is that it would seem unlikely he’ll jump into the top half of the first round, even with a strong close to the season and a great performance at the NFL combine. But were he to return for a fourth season in Athens, it’s easy to imagine him as a possible top-10 pick when you mesh his potential experience with his already impressive talents.

The NFL draft and what to do with it is a future concern for Freeling. Far more immediate will be playing well in the Sugar Bowl and showing he’s a far-improved player from last year’s showing.