Georgia still has not settled on a starting five for the offensive line. But unlike some years past, that’s a good thing rather than a bad thing.
The Bulldogs’ biggest problem this season is settling on a “best five.” At this point, they are comfortable with putting any one of up to nine players in a game heading into the final two weeks of preseason preparation.
“I think this next scrimmage will help us define that,” Georgia coach Mark Richt told reporters before Thursday’s practice, the 17th in 14 days of camp. “We need to name a starting five here pretty soon and get them working together as long as we can. We have been mixing and matching a lot. There’s been a lot of open competition. It hasn’t been all bad. Some years you’re desperate to find five that can play at all and now there’s a possibility of having eight or nine guys, or maybe even ten.”
One of the individuals who has complicated the decision is Watts Dantzler. The 6-foot-7, 320-pound senior from Dalton has had a standout a camp. He has been alternating with Kolton Houston at right tackle on the No. 1 offense.
“I’ve been doing the same thing since day one, just grinding every day,” Dantzler said. “It’s just that now I’m feeling very comfortable and just being healthy, which is good. So I’m feeling very confident and liking how things are looking.”
The real question mark heading into the final 12 practices is left guard, and the Bulldogs feel like they have a lot of options there. With Dantzler at right tackle, the Bulldogs often move Houston to left guard. Meanwhile, sophomore Brandon Kublanow has had a solid camp and he often lines up at left guard with the first team.
Junior John Theus seems solidly entrenched as the left tackle, with Mark Beard providing strong backup. Beard has also gotten some left-guard looks, as has freshman Isaiah Wynn. Big Greg Pyke (6-6, 321) seems immovable at right guard.
“So we’re competing with guys that we think can play, is what we’re saying,” Richt said. “We’re not just trying to see if there are five that can do it. It’s a good problem to have right now. I’d say that at the end of the scrimmage we’ll have a pretty good idea.”
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