UGA freshman George Pickens living up to 5-star hype in a hurry

George Pickens may have set an unofficial recruiting record for being the fastest 5-star prospect to live up to the hype.

The freshman sensation from Hoover, Ala., scored his first college touchdown in the second quarter of UGA’s game against Murray State on Saturday.

The scoring reception wasn’t even Pickens’ best play during the second quarter. He had a crushing block to spring teammate D’Andre Swift free for a touchdown run. Pickens also had an acrobatic extension of his body to make a circus 43-yard catch, setting up his own touchdown a few plays later.

OH MY, GEORGE PICKENS 😱 pic.twitter.com/N4qo9X4HB4

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 7, 2019

Earlier this summer, UGA quarterback Jake Fromm compared Pickens to Bulldogs great A.J. Green – which is rare praise for any player, and surreal for a freshman who had yet to play in a college game.

In last week’s season opener, Pickens nearly caught a touchdown, but the defender interfered and was called for pass interference. He also had a pancake block at the goal line which the UGA coaches raved about. As evidenced by fellow receiver Demetris Robertson’s usage last year by the Bulldogs, coach Kirby Smart won’t play receivers unless they are willing to block effectively.

Last month, Pickens arguably had the best pre-season catch in Bulldogs history (see video below).

George Pickens OH MY GOD 🤯 @geo_Thagoat (via @chrisleefiggure) pic.twitter.com/Qp6HFAjfMl

— Overtime (@overtime) August 15, 2019

On last February’s signing day, Pickens stunned the recruiting world when he flipped from Auburn to UGA, seemingly out of nowhere.