3 key questions for Georgia O-line, a unit dealing with numerous changes for 2020

This is part of a series to preview Georgia football’s 2020 season through a closer look at each of the Bulldogs’ positions. Today we’re looking at the offensive line.

For a unit that has been so strong under Kirby Smart, this offseason has been one of great turnover for the Georgia offensive line.

Offensive line coach Sam Pittman departed to take the head job at Arkansas, and he’s since been replaced by Matt Luke. Starting tackles Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson went to the NFL as first-round picks, and Cade Mays transferred to Tennessee.

That leaves the Bulldogs with just one starter set in stone, junior center Trey Hill. The rest of the spots are open for competition among the talented group recruited over the years by Pittman.

At tackle, junior Jamaree Salyer looks to be in great position to land one starting spot. He played in 13 games in 2019 and started at right tackle against Murray State and Baylor, and he could either remain there or move to left tackle.

The other tackle spot should come down to three Bulldogs: redshirt sophomore Owen Condon and redshirt freshmen Xavier Truss and Warren McClendon. Truss played in three games, McClendon saw action in four, while Condon only saw the field against Arkansas State.

While somewhat inexperienced Bulldogs will likely take over on the outside, two veterans have the inside track at guard. Senior Ben Cleveland has played in 36 games over the past three seasons, while fellow senior Justin Shaffer has played in 26 career games and started twice at guard before missing the final eight games of 2019 with a neck injury.

Redshirt sophomore Warren Ericson, who started at right guard in the Sugar Bowl, could also challenge for a starting spot. Highly rated recruits Broderick Jones, Tate Ratledge and Chad Lindberg will also try to push for playing time, although that will be a tall order once players return to campus June 8.

When that date comes, the group with plenty of new faces will need to gel quickly to keep the Bulldogs dominant in the trenches in 2020.

Key departures: LT Andrew Thomas; RT Isaiah Wilson; G/T Cade Mays; G Solomon Kindley

Projected starters

LT: Jamaree Salyer

LG: Justin Shaffer

C: Trey Hill

RG: Ben Cleveland

RT: Warren McClendon

How will new faces hold up on the outside?

It’s a tough task to replace one first-round pick at tackle, let alone two. But that’s exactly the position offensive line coach Matt Luke and the Bulldogs find themselves in heading into 2020.

Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson are departed for the NFL, leaving Georgia with two new tackles. Junior Jamaree Salyer seems to be a natural fit to slide in at left tackle after playing in 13 games and starting at right tackle twice in 2019.

The other side is a bit more up in the air. The competition will likely be between redshirt freshmen Xavier Truss and Warren McClendon, who has the edge in the above depth chart mainly because he appeared in four games last season compared to Truss’ three. Truly, thought, the competition for that spot is wide open.

Pass protection will be critical in the new downfield passing attack of offensive coordinator Todd Monken. If the offense is to click at full capacity, the new tackles will have to fit in seamlessly.

Will the new offensive philosophy result in more running room?

Speaking of Monken and his new scheme, it could help the offensive line in creating holes for the backs to run through.

Defenses made a habit of packing in around the line of scrimmage against Georgia last season, daring Jake Fromm to throw the ball. The offensive line, in turn, sometimes had trouble creating space to run, particularly in short-yardage situations.

But Monken’s new attack, combined with a new quarterback and more experience at receiver, should force defenses to pay more attention to the downfield passing game. That, in turn, could alleviate some of the burden on the guys in the trenches and better allow them to physically dominate opponents.

Will the depth continue to be a strength?

The stockpile of talent on the offensive line has resulted in one of the deepest groups in the country. When one player goes down, another Bulldog who could start at numerous other programs comes in to replace him.

This season, the depth behind the starters skews a bit more youthful and inexperienced than it has in recent years. While talented, the two-deep has plenty of Bulldogs that haven’t seen much game action.

This situation will create plenty of jockeying for position on the depth chart once camp eventually begins. Whether it’s players already in Athens or one of the star recruits like Broderick Jones or Tate Ratledge, the competition for the backup spots will be just as entertaining as the battle for starting jobs.