UGA Football: Offensive Line Questions Lead Heading Into Camp

UGA Football showed some promise in 2016 in spite of much transition. Questions about Offensive Line production persist, and will determine success or failure in 2017.

In many ways, 2016 was both encouraging and frustrating for UGA Football. New coaches, new Quarterback, two Running Backs coming back from injury, and a whole host of unknown faces at new positions, contributed to the mediocre ebb and flow of 8-5. None of that, though, was as startling and maddening as the play of the Offensive Line.

Let’s just be frank: Any time you have a transfer from the bastion of football glory Rhode Island manning Left Tackle, even if he is built like The Mountain from Game of Thrones, it ain’t good. You’re going to struggle. Couple that LT with the aforementioned true Freshman QB, and you’re really going to struggle.

Fast forward to 2017, and while there are still some of the same questions, there is reason for optimism. “The Mountain” from Rhode Island has been replaced by Isaiah Wynn. He’s more like “The Hound”. Not as big, but nasty.

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In fact, the reason for optimism is that the three spots up for grabs, apparently (LG, RG, RT), will most assuredly be manned by dudes just a big as Tyler Catalina or Greg Pyke, but also more athletic and highly touted coming out of High School.

Ben Cleveland and Solomon Kindley are massive dudes with a mean streak. It’s just a matter of them learning scheme and signals. They are both Redshirt Freshmen who have been on campus for 18 months now.

Then, you have the immensely talented Freshman group coming in. Any one of those kids, Isaiah Wilson, Andrew Thomas, D’Marcus Hayes (Transfer), Netori Johnson, and Justin Schaffer, could start at most programs.

That is, once they get acclimated to the rigors and pace of college ball, then they could start. They are talented and large enough.

You also have dudes like Pat Allen and Lamont Galliard who have time in the program and who have waited their turn. Can they make some noise and move some earth? We’ll see.

UGA lost 3 games by a combined total of 5 points in 2016. Part of that is because they were unable to run the ball late and put games away. That was because the 2016 UGA Football Offensive Line was the worst O-Line in a Georgia uniform that this writer has seen in 25 years. That’s not a joke. They were at the bottom of the SEC as a unit.

If the O-Line improves to just being mediocre, rather than gawd-awful, and Jacob Eason makes a 2nd year progression on par with most 2nd year QBs, there is reason for optimism in 2017.

Because let’s face it. They can’t get much worse.

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