Georgia’s football team has the extreme luxury of returning four of five starters on the offensive line from last season, but must fill a key vacancy at center.
The Bulldogs are looking at three candidates in spring practice to replace three-year starting center David Andrews, who graduated: sophomore Isaiah Wynn, senior Hunter Long and junior Brandon Kublanow, who is the returning starter at left guard.
“We need to develop a couple of centers … and come out of spring ball and find out who that guy is going to be,” said Rob Sale, the Bulldogs’ new offensive-line coach.
Wynn appears to be the early leader. In last weekend’s scrimmage, he worked with the No. 1 unit and made a good impression on coaches. Sale said Wynn has built on that performance in the Bulldogs’ two practices this week and likely will get the first-team reps in another scrimmage Saturday.
Wynn, who had never played center before getting some work there last season, said he is catching on to the position, which he compared with being “a second quarterback.”
“He’s kept moving forward,” Sale said. “He’s on the up climb.”
But Sale is far from declaring the position decided, suggesting that won’t happen until well into preseason camp in August.
“It is close,” Sale said of the competition. “Each of them is doing a good job. Hunter is doing a good job, Isaiah (is doing a good job), and we’re trying to put Kublanow in some game situations.”
Kublanow indicated the position is a work in progress.
“Right now, I’m just playing wherever needs to be played — mainly working at guard, doing some center reps here and there, just trying it out,” Kublanow said. “We don’t have that much depth at center, and I may end up there. You never know. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
On the move: The Bulldogs are experimenting with a possible change of positions for Lamont Gaillard. A former four-star recruit as a defensive tackle, Gaillard got some work at offensive guard during Thursday's practice.
“We were just testing the waters with him,” Sale said. “He was receptive to it.”
Gaillard worked with the offensive line during the portion of practice open to the media, but later did other drills with the defense, Sale said.
“At least you can evaluate him … to see if he has the ability to (switch positions), and he showed some promising things,” said Sale, who indicated the experiment will continue for the remainder of spring practice.
Gaillard was redshirted as a freshman last season.
The offensive line is not unfamiliar to him. He played there some during high school in Fayetteville, N.C.
Injury update: Tailback Keith Marshall remains sidelined from practice with a hamstring injury, but running backs coach Thomas Brown said he hopes to have Marshall back before the end of spring drills.
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