ATHENS — Depending on the publication, Georgia’s offensive line unit already is being touted as the best in the nation coming into the 2019 season. Some have even suggested it merits consideration as the best assembled unit of all-time.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart was reluctant to put a stamp on that assessment after Saturday’s G-Day game to conclude spring practice. But he did acknowledge that the depth of the group should not be ignored.
“The competition has been extremely high with that group,” Smart said. “It certainly can be the strength of the team. But there are still several spots up for grabs.”
Smart sighed and rolled his eyes when asked about the starting unit for the Red squad, considered the No. 1 offense on the day -- Trey Hill, Ben Cleveland, Solomon Kindley, Andrew Thomas, Isaiah Wilson -- and if fans should expect that to be the opening-day unit against Vanderbilt. Jamaree Salyer, Justin Shaffer, Warren Ercikson, Owen Condon, and Cade Mays were the starting unit for the Black squad.
“Here we go,” he said. “(The Red unit) was the No. 1 group for this practice. I could have put any combination out there and you would asked if that was the No. 1 group.
“Ben is just now coming back and missed a lot of time and we wanted him out there. It was good to see him be able to go full-strength. He looked 100 percent to me.
“But really our right tackle spot, the center spot are up for grabs.There is a long way to go before the season starts and the competition I’m sure will continue to be high in that group. But we certainly like what we have.”
Cleveland was all smiles when asked about getting back on the field after more than six months of rehab.
“It felt good to be able to go full speed out there,” the mammoth 6-foot-6, 335-pound tackle said. “The depth we’re going to have is amazing. It should be a lot of fun no matter who is out there.”
Junior quarterback Jake Fromm, who will rely on the unit to keep him upright and to open holes in the run game, said the group has unlimited potential. And he didn’t back away from the pre-season assessments of the group as a whole.
“The O-line is incredible,” Fromm said. “The protection was great and they dominated at times. I think they can be as good as they want to be. They are a dope group. I’m sure they’ll keep pushing each other to get better. They could be the best of all-time if they do that.”
