Sedrick Van Pran has blown the whistle on his college recruiting journey, committing to Georgia Saturday night.
The nation’s No. 3 center just never thought he was going to commit prior to his senior season at Warren Easton High in New Orleans.
Van Pran, wanting to make sure he was a part of the 2020 class in Athens, has been ramping up his decision timelines over the last few months. He was at one time set to choice known on the traditional signing day, but then felt he might want to ramp it up to decide at an All-American game.
That thinking just kept up to where he is today.
The nation’s No. 101 overall prospect (also from the 247Sports Composite ratings) is now off the board. Van Pran’s decision likely locks down the offensive line class for Georgia line coach Sam Pittman for the 2020 cycle.
From his first visit to Athens to his first game in the 2018 opener, he’s liked what he has seen and heard from Pittman. Always.
He aims to be a graphic design major in college so he knows when something just looks right. Or if it is just supposed to go a certain way.
He has decided the best look for him involves the red and black of the Georgia Bulldogs. The “Great Wall of Georgia” now has a center block to train under Pittman. It now consists of:
- Broderick Jones (Nation's No. 2 OT and No. 20 overall)
- Tate Ratledge (Nation's No. 3 OT and No. 37 overall)
- Sedrick Van Pran (Nation's No. 3 C and No. 101 overall)
- Chad Lindberg (Nation's No. 15 OT and No. 131 overall)
- Josh Braun (Nation's No. 21 OT and No. 279 overall)
Braun doesn’t do any showcase or national or regional camps. Or his ratings would be a lot higher. Each one of those Bulldog commitments for this class is at least 6 feet, 4 inches in height and at least 305 pounds.
Pittman has not specified a position for Van Pran. The feeling is he can help all across the line.
“Coach Pittman thinks that I can be a heck of a center,” Van Pran told Dawgnation earlier this year. “But also he does like the fact he can throw me elsewhere on the line. He kind of likes me because I have the ability to snap the ball but he kind of wants to use me as a Swiss Army Knife wherever he can use me and plug me in along the future.”
The 4-star prospect has family in the Metro Atlanta to offset the distance factor in crossing over all that SEC West territory to come to play for the Bulldogs. He also has more family planning to make that trip.
Van Pran has had some memorable trips to UGA to set up this pledge, including a late July visit for the cookout weekend in Athens.
Van Pran was at UGA for spring drills. That’s when he shared one of his favorite songs with head coach Kirby Smart. Smart committed that one to memory and then played it for Van Pran as the first song over the speakers at the team practice he was checking out.
“That was unique,” Van Pran said after that visit. “I can honestly say that nobody has ever paid that much attention to detail. Honestly, it was just crazy. He didn’t have a pencil or a pen or notepad or anything when I told him that.
“For him to remember that two hours before practice and then you know the time it takes for him to make something like that happen and tell the guys to play that song first. It is kind of crazy.”
Van Pran is the fifth commitment in the class who ranks among the nation’s top 25 prospects. It is a necessary reinforcement of the line across the 2020 class for the Bulldogs.
Georgia could see up to four members of its starting line for the 2019 season opt to enter their name in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft.
Pittman had targeted and prioritized him early. The nation’s No. 101 overall prospect wound up committing to the first school that offered him the chance to play in the SEC.
Van Pran has essentially had the same feeling about UGA for some time.
“They have been here since day one,” Van Pran said. “I like them and they love me so that’s really it.”
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound rising senior from Warren Easton in New Orleans chose the Bulldogs over strong interest in Alabama, in-state LSU, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
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