ATHENS – The scene in the interview studio on the second floor of the Butts-Mehre football complex on Wednesday served as a stark reminder of the dynamics at play with Georgia’s freshman class.

Sitting on a stool on one side of the room was quarterback Jacob Eason, who was virtually hidden from view due to the crush of reporters and cameras that surrounded him. On two other sides of the room were fellow midyear enrollees Isaac Nauta and Julian Rochester. They commanded attention themselves, but were doing so at least without having to simultaneously combat claustrophobia.

And so it is and it shall be. With National Signing Day now in the rear view mirror, the Bulldogs and their newly-minted crop of freshmen get busy on preparing for the 2016 season. Eason, the No. 1-rated quarterback in America and a household name before ever taking a snap in college football, will be a major part of the narrative from now on.

Of this, Eason is well aware. The recipient of three national player of the year awards and three solid years of intense recruiting attention, he’s cognizant of the expectations that envelope him. But he is choosing to embrace them rather than shrug them off.

“Obviously, as a young kid I’m going to want to live up to it and be the great quarterback and stuff. But that’s a longshot,” he said on Wednesday afternoon as Georgia made him available for interviews for the first time as a freshman enrollee. “I want to be the guy that comes in and works my hardest and does the best that I can to fill my potential. Yeah, I look at the expectations and they’re great and people have high hopes for me. I’m going to do the best I can to fulfill them. But that just means a lot of hard work.”

Eason is saying and doing all the right things so far. He acknowledges that Georgia already has two seasoned quarterbacks on the roster in Greyson Lambert and Brice Ramsey and that him beating them out to become the Bulldogs’ starter is not a given. He said both players have been gracious and helpful and have wholeheartedly accepted him as a friend and comrade, not a threatening competitor.

In the meantime, Kirby Smart and the Georgia coaches have stepped in to serve as a sort of protective shield from the heat of expectations. Smart said how Eason performs from this point forward is more their responsibility than Eason’s.

“The pressure’s not on Jacob; the pressure’s on me,” Smart said during his signing day debriefing on Wednesday. “I’m the first-year head coach. The pressure is on me and (offensive coordinator Jim) Chaney to protect him. There’s no pressure on him, no expectations on him. He’s a kid coming out of high school for mid-year (enrollment). He’s going to have 15 practices, he’s going to have 27, 28 practices in the fall to get him ready and prepare him. We’ve got to put him in good situations and we’ve got to be able to run the ball if he’s the guy.

“We don’t want him coming in and thinking he’s got to win the job. There’s some other guys here too that played some football last year. We’ve got to find what the best remedy for our offense is. That’ll be very important in spring practice. To say that it all falls on Jacob, I don’t think that’s the case. I would rather take that burden myself.”

But no matter how hard the Bulldogs work to protect Eason from the weight of expectations, they’re still going to be there. Between being nearly 6-feet-6 inches tall and having movie-star good looks, there’s nowhere for Eason to hide. And he’s not trying.

Here’s some highlights from his interview Wednesday as Georgia put the finishing touches on the 2016 recruiting class that Eason headlines:

On the 2016 recruiting class …

“They’re all great guys. They’re all hard workers and they all have one goal, to try to make this team better. I respect all of them and I’m looking forward to playing alongside them. … There’s a lot of talented offensive and defensive guys in our class. I think some of the ’17 guys, once they see what we’ve got, they’re going to want to be part of it and keep things rolling.”

On his involvement in recruiting …

“I was pretty involved. I had the advantage of being on campus and telling them what it was actually like. So I talked to a bunch of different guys. And when they asked me what it was like, I was able to tell them firsthand what it was like. I told them college is hard work and anywhere you go you’re going to have to work hard and I think Georgia has some guys who are going to push you to get to the next level. I think some of these guys are interested in that.”

On now living so far from his home in Lake Stevens, Wash. …

“How I looked at that was my dad went to Notre Dame. He went to the best place for him no matter what the distance was. I looked at it the same way. I went to the place where I can spend the best years of my life, work the most and have the most fun and that just happened to be Georgia. I’m excited about being here.”

On his relationship with signee Mecole Hardman, rated the No. 1 athlete in the country …

“I talked to him a lot. We’re good friends, even though we live so far apart. Now we’re close. … I’m excited to have him on the team. I’ve talked to him a bunch, and more than just football, friendship-wise, what’s going on in school, basketball, all that stuff.”

On his impressions of Hardman …

“Speed, talent, hands. I mean, I think he’s the fastest guy I’ve thrown to. And he’s got a lot of energy. He’s going to bring a lot of positive energy to the weight room and to the field. After long runs at practice and stuff, he’ll be the guy to pick up the energy and keep things going.”

On if he’ll lobby for Hardman to play offense …

“I think Mecole is such a good athlete that he’ll play both ways. I mean, he’ll go wherever coach wants him to go, but obviously he can be a threat on the offensive side and the defensive side. That’s a great thing for Georgia to have.”

On early sit-downs with Smart and Chaney after the coaching change …

“That was the most reassuring thing. I came down here on my official during the Gala weekend and that was the first time that Coach Chaney actually got on campus. The first thing he did was come and meet me. That just showed me that I was a priority for them and they wanted me to be a part of their team and it made me want to be a part of their team.”

On whether all the changes he endured since committing to UGA were stressful …

“It wasn’t much … OK, it was stress, but it was like just wait-and-see. I knew I needed to give them some time. They had just lost their head coach for however many years in Coach Richt, a great guy. So they were kind of scrambling around. But I knew they were going to find the right guy because, you know, this is Georgia. So they found Coach Smart and I was excited about that. Then there was more waiting to see who he was going to hire as OC, and he got Coach Chaney. So it all worked out.”

On his impression of and relationship with Jim Chaney …

“I haven’t been on the field with him yet but, just looking at his track record, he coached Drew Brees and Kyle Orton and guys like that, and he’s coached a lot young freshman quarterbacks and they’ve succeeded. So I kind of looked at that. Hopefully I can be one of those guys. So I’m going to do my best I can to learn from him. I know he’s going to give me his all and teach me and we’ll see where it goes.”

On if his relationship with No. 1 receiver Demetris Robertson, an unsigned prospect from Savannah who will visit UGA this weekend …

“I’m sure I’ll see him around. He’s a great friend of mine, too. He’s a great guy. He’s a guy kind of like Mecole, great speed, great hands, all that stuff. I really hope he decides to come here, but it’s his decision ultimately. He’s a great kid and I’d love to play with him. I hope he feels the same way.”

On Archer offensive tackle E.J. Price choosing Southern Cal rather than Georgia …

“I didn’t know him too well but I knew his name and met him a couple of times. I respect his decision. He’s doing to opposite of me. He’s going to the West Coast and I’m sure he’ll have some fun out there. He’ll learn a lot from the them and do well.”

On being recognized on campus …

“Yeah, but it’s just part of being a recruit. Isaac and Julian and all those guys are recognized. You see them on Twitter and Instagram and stuff. It’s more like media really. It’s snapchats and cameras and all that stuff. Some talk to me, some come up and say ‘hi’ and stuff, some just take a picture. I just kind of throw on my headphones and go.”

On his relationship with tight end Isaac Nauta, who is now his roommate …

“We talked all the time. We actually hung out a while back and just became good friends. We’ve done some non-football stuff and got to know each other that way. I think our connection is going to be great. We had a base before and now we’re roommates and going to school together. I just think that’s going to bring us closer.”