ATHENS — Jared Wilson’s Achilles injury caused a problem for Georgia during fall camp.
The fourth-year junior is expected to take over for Sedrick Van Pran-Ganger as Georgia’s starting center. While Wilson was dealing with an Achilles injury, the Bulldogs moved All-American guard Tate Ratledge to center.
“Tate’s gotten a lot of work there through our OTAs, training camp days, walk-throughs,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Tate has had a lot of reps, and he’s been right next to the center making all the calls. The mental part of it’s been great, and his snaps have been really good too. He’s just creating value for himself in that he can play multiple positions now.”
Ratledge was named a First-Team AP All-American at guard this week. Dylan Fairchild was named a Second Team All-American this week. And Georgia very much loves what Micah Morris brings to the table as well.
Wilson is back healthy and will be Georgia’s starting center this season. Even with Georgia’s three-guard situation, that will continue to be the case.
“Jared’s (Wilson) been back and practiced in scrimmage Saturday and done some good things,” Smart said. “We’ve been controlling his volume, but he’s been out there working and getting some continuity. He has the largest body of work over the last two to three years at center of anybody.”
So Georgia will have to find a way to rotate three guards who could start for any program in the country and keep all of them happy. Calling it a problem might be a stretch, but it’s one Georgia will gladly deal with as opposed to dealing with a deficit.
Fairchild started nine games for Georgia last season. Ratledge started 13 last season while Morris is still waiting to make his first career start.
The Bulldogs have employed a rotation at tackle before, famously doing so when it had Amairus Mims, Broderick Jones and Warren McLendon all on the team.
This trio of guards is arguably more talented than that trio of tackles.
It would be easy for the intense level of competition to create a negative atmosphere in the offensive line room. But it’s actually the opposite, where there’s a very healthy respect and admiration between everyone.
“It’s a good thing to have people like Dylan Fairchild on the line,” offensive tackle Earnest Greene said of Fairchild. “That’s why you come here to Georgia. to play with and compete with good people at your position. It’s definitely a reason you come here, having people like Dylan on the line.”
Fairchild was equally complimentary of Morris and Ratledge. He cited Ratledge as a huge influence on his own game while noting the brotherly bond he shares with Morris.
“I know if I’ve got a bad day he’s got my back and I appreciate that all the time,” Fairchild said. “If he’s got a bad day I’ve got his back, and I’d just say all of us on the line, we kind of take each other’s back. If one of us is lacking in an area we’ll call it out and raise the standard. I think that he does a great job, and everybody on the o-line does a great job of holding each other accountable and just being best friends.”
At some point, Georgia will have to figure out which combination of guards and tackles help compose Georgia’s best five-man lineup. There’s a strong belief that Wilson is the best center among the group, even with the positive progress Ratledge has made.
Xavier Truss, Monroe Freeling and Greene will be factors at tackle. At guard, it’s like to come down to Ratledge, Fairchild and Morris. With three men fighting for two spots.
Georgia wasn’t able to figure or use it’s best five-man combination last season against Alabama, in part because Mims left the game in the first quarter with an injury. Truss moved to right tackle and Georgia tried both Morris and Fairchild at left guard, with the former getting the first shot at playing.
The Bulldogs will have a long season to figure out who makes up that combination. And while injuries may certainly be a factor, as they already have as Wilson has shown, whoever makes up that group will have undoubtedly earned it.
“I think we’re confident in whoever we’re going to put out there from week one all the way through wherever we end up in the playoffs,” Fairchild said. “I think we’ll be fine no matter what we do.”
