ATHENS — Days now from the season opener, a starting spot on Georgia’s offensive line may be up for grabs again.
Solomon Kindley, the redshirt freshman who has been working first-team right guard, was sitting out at least one drill during Tuesday’s practice, though he was in uniform and practicing. Kendall Baker was working with the first team at right guard.
Afterwards, head coach Kirby Smart chided the media for looking too much into that, but did acknowledge that competition still exists at both spots.
"Y'all are incredible. I'm getting reports during practice and everybody is telling me that Kendall Baker is the starting right guard," Smart said. " It amazes me where some of this come from. Kendall Baker is in competition with Dyshon Sims, he's in competition with Solomon Kindley, he's in competition with Pat Allen, and to be honest with you, those four at guard are really about dead even.
Baker has been working his way up in the pecking order for some time now, and has consistently been the second-team right guard. He was running first team during Tuesday's media viewing period, with Sims, a senior, running second team.
Kindley has been the first-team right guard since at least midway through spring practice, and that had not changed until Tuesday. That could have just been in preparation for subbing in Baker. But Smart again stated: “A starter has not been named at right guard.”
Allen has been working at first-team left guard for most of preseason, including the past couple weeks.
The tackle spots (Isaiah Wynn and Andrew Thomas) and center (Lamont Gaillard) have seemed set for awhile, though redshirt freshman Ben Cleveland could still be pushing Thomas, a freshman.
Georgia could end up playing a number of linemen on Saturday, Smart acknowledged, depending on the weather, conditioning of players and how the game is going. The guard spots are where that most likely would happen, he added.
While cohesion on the line does matter, Smart said he was mainly concerned with whether players on each side of the line have worked together well and long enough.
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