ATHENS — Georgia likes to have offensive linemen play multiple positions to build depth.
One week into fall camp, however, the Bulldogs are doing it out of necessity.
The good news is that Coach Kirby Smart gave a relatively positive assessment of the line play after the scrimmage on Saturday.
“Without seeing the film, the only thing I will say in the third down protection periods I thought they did a nice job with the pocket,” Smart said. “I thought we ran the ball and made some holes in there.
“I thought we protected consistently.”
But there’s plenty of work to do.
A hand injury to projected starting center Warren Ericson has triggered various mashups along what was already an unsettled offensive line.
Senior Jamaree Salyer is the Swiss Army knife in the equation, most recently seeing action with the first team at center on Saturday.
Salyer has been considered the most likely option to start at left tackle in the opening game against Clemson, where he played almost all of last season.
Ultimately, Salyer is best suited to play guard, but his versatility and athleticism enables him to plug in where it suits Georgia best.
Smart said Saturday that Ericson will be cleared next week, but he’ll return with a cast on the hand he snaps with.
“We have had people play with that injury, but we have never had a center with a snapping hand play with that injury, so that will be the key,” Smart said. “He may work some at guard with that injury present.”
The guards for the opening game figure to be Tate Ratledge and Justin Shaffer — that part of the equation would seem to remain unchanged at the moment.
Second-year player Sedrick Van Pran is the “other” option at center, as he continues to split reps with Salyer there.
To recap, here are a lot of “ifs” to consider at this point:
• “If” Ericson can’t go ….(it’s Van Pran or Salyer play at center)
• “If” Ericson can’t go and Van Pran isn’t the second option … (Salyer moves inside and left tackle is a question mark)
• “If” Salyer has to be moved inside to center … (Xavier Truss, Broderick Jones or Amarius Mims seem like the most likely options at left tackle)
You get the point, it’s almost dizzying.
It’s also why Smart’s Georgia teams have always built depth and versatility.
“I do not think that you will go anywhere in the country that does not have moving parts,” Smart said. “If you do not move anybody, and someone gets hurt, do you just play the number two? He might not be the best player.
“We have made a big-time effort to play guys at multiple positions. Everybody says, ‘You have to get continuity.’ I want to get continuity, but I know that, the SEC and the rigors of it, there are going to be injuries.”
Smart shared how several young players were getting key work at the scrimmage.
“Worked Jamaree and Van Pran both in at the ones at center, that allowed us to work other tackles,” Smart said. “Broderick has worked at tackle with Jamaree bumping inside. Truss has been able to work some at tackle and guard.”
Truss, Smart pointed out, got valuable experience at left tackle in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati.
Jones, meanwhile, is a former 5-star prospect in his second season with the Bulldogs who many believe can blossom into a dominant player.
Smart shared that incoming 5-star offensive tackle Mims — perhaps the most physically imposing player on offense — worked on the right side of the line on Saturday.
Warren McClendon, a 2020 FWAA Freshman All-American, is the projected starter at right tackle.
Georgia has its second and final scrimmage of the fall next Saturday, with the season-opening game against Clemson on Sept. 4 in Charlotte, N.C., three weeks away.
