ATHENS — Sacovie White-Helton has a better understanding than most of what makes Zachariah Branch special.

He led the Bulldogs in receiving last season, catching a school-record 81 passes and a team-high 6 touchdown passes. Branch was also a special-teams standout during his brief time in Athens.

White-Helton, entering his third year, knows he alone can’t replace Branch. It’s why he isn’t trying to replicate what Branch did last season.

He’s focused on being the best version of himself entering his third year in the program.

“I’m very explosive,” White-Helton said. “I can attack the ball as if I was 6′5. I can make people miss. But me and Zach are two different players, and we play completely different. And kudos to him, because he did a lot for us this past year. But I just bring a whole different mindset and tempo to the game.”

Like Branch, White-Helton is at his best coming out of the slot. He’s also expected to be a difference-maker for Georgia on special teams, as he’s expected to take over Branch’s duties as the team’s punt returner.

To this point, Smart has been most impressed with White-Helton’s willingness to help on special teams.

“He’s come to me several times and requested to be more of a value, an asset on special teams,” Smart said. “He wants to do other things besides just return the ball. He’s always got a question. He’s inquisitive about what do I do if this happens? Or coach, well, how did you see that? Should I have done this? I mean, he’s very intelligent and he loves the game and he’s just always smiling.”

White-Helton is going to help Georgia this year. As for how much, it will come down to what White-Helton is able to do as a wide receiver.

Branch isn’t the only wide receiver the Bulldogs have to replace, as Georgia has to replace four of its top five wide receivers from last season’s team. Branch was just the tip of the spear in that regard.

White-Helton has had to wait his time to see the field. While Branch was a 5-star recruit who played immediately at USC and Georgia, White-Helton had to take his time at Georgia.

The Cartersville, Georgia, native admitted things got hard for him last season. He knew leaving was an option, thanks to the transfer portal.

But he’s glad to still be in Athens.

“I would say it got hard at some times. Sometimes it got hard, but my faith in Jesus definitely helped me,” White-Helton said. “Just understanding that I’m on a narrow path that not many people are on. And my success is gonna take a little bit longer than others. And sometimes, you just gotta let whatever marinates, marinate for a little bit longer. And you just gotta learn and understand that your story is not the same as everybody else’s.”

White-Helton is tasked with helping Georgia’s receiver room become more explosive. While he’s not as shifty as Branch, he believes his skill set allows him to stretch the field in a way Georgia didn’t always have Branch do last season.

Heading into the team’s second scrimmage, Smart wants to see the wide receivers make more explosive plays. White-Helton knows what is expected of both him and the room.

He looks forward to delivering in that regard, just as Branch did last season when the Bulldogs pulled him from the transfer portal.

“I feel like we’re doing well,” White-Helton said. “We can be a lot better. As an offense, we can be a lot better. As in the receiver room, we’re trying to be more explosive, really explosive. And just show that, hey, we’re accountable.”