Georgia's All-Kirby Smart Era Team: Offensive Line
We’re entering year eight of the Kirby Smart era in Athens. The Georgia football coach has more than established himself as one of the best, if not THE best, in College Football by turning around a program that had gone stagnant and is now at the top of the sport with the Bulldogs having won back-to-back titles.
Seven full seasons at the helm means a lot of things. Smart’s first full class has come and gone. While the “COVID-year” delayed it a bit, that happened this past season with the departure of Robert Beal – and of course walk-on Stetson Bennett. So, it’s time that we start discussing the All-Smart Era Team.
Our rules are simple. They only require the player to have spent one season playing for Smart so seniors on the 2016 team are eligible. Other than that, they must have finished their career at Georgia or be suiting up for the Bulldogs this fall.
Last but not least on the offensive side of the ball, our offensive line. It’s worth noting that because of cross training and development, players have often moved positions throughout their careers. So, our arbitrary rule for this exercise is, in order for a player to be picked at the position, they must have started at least one game at the position during their Georgia career.
LT: Andrew Thomas (2017-2019)
Thomas started his career off at right tackle, earning Freshman All-American honors there in 2017 for the SEC Championship winning Bulldogs, but played his best football after switching sides and protecting the blind side for Jake Fromm. Thomas stepped in as a freshman, earned a starting spot and proceeded to start every game in which he played during his Georgia career. He was twice named a First-Team All-SEC selection, a First-Team All-American in 2018 and an unanimous All-American in 2019. Thomas, who was a team captain in 2019, also won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy before declaring for the NFL Draft and being selected fourth overall by the New York Giants in the 2020 NFL Draft.
LG: Isaiah Wynn (2014-2017)
Wynn spent the first half of his career playing under Mark Richt, but had a big impact on the start of the Kirby Smart era too. He also spent the majority of his career at guard, allowing me to place him there for this exercise. He started all 13 games of the 2015 season at guard and 12 of 13 in 2016 there too. In 2017, Wynn moved outside to left tackle and started 15 times there for Georgia on its way to a National Championship Game appearance. He earned All-SEC and All-American honors, was named a permanent team captain and ended up being picked in the first round alongside his teammate Sony Michel by the New England Patriots in the 2018 NFL Draft.
C: Sedrick Van Pran (2020-present)
Van Pran has been the epitome of what you would want in an offensive lineman during his days at Georgia. Playing under two different offensive line coaches after being recruited by a third, the New Orleans native has taken everything in stride. He moved into a starter’s role in 2021 and has been in that spot every game since, helping the Bulldogs to a 29-1 record and a pair of National Championships in that time. Van Pran, a captain on the 2022 team as only a redshirt sophomore, announced his return for 2023 and is considered one of the top offensive linemen in the country, regardless of position.
RG: Ben Cleveland (2016-2020)
After redshirting in his first season on campus, Cleveland played in all 15 games for Georgia in 2017 with five starts. Those came in the final five games and included the SEC Championship, Rose Bowl and National Championship. After that, Cleveland had battles with injuries but was a force to be reckoned with when on the field. He started eight games in 2018 and seven more in 2019. Then, in his final season with the program, Cleveland returned to being a full-time starter and was named First-Team All-SEC and a Third-Team All-American by the AP. He would be drafted in the top 100, going in the third round to the Baltimore Ravens in the 2021 NFL Draft.
RT Jamaree Salyer (2018-2021)
Much like putting Wynn at guard, it’s a little bit of a cheat code to be able to throw Salyer on the right side considering he started just a couple of game there over the course of his entire career. However, him being a Swiss Army Knife, he certainly would be able to do it. Over the course of his career, Salyer took snaps at all five positions on the offensive line. He started his first career game as a sophomore in 2019 but played heavily. Scene as a guard primarily, Salyer earned a full time starting spot at left tackle in 2020 and maintained that position through the 2021 season. He might bump inside at times, but the ability to play everywhere well earns him a spot on this team (and it’s earned him a starting spot in the NFL already after just one year with the Los Angeles Chargers).
Second Team (Left to Right): LT Broderick Jones (2020-2022), LG Solomon Kindley (2016-2019), C Lamont Gaillard (2014-2018), RG Trey Hill (2018-2020), RT Isaiah Wilson (2017-2019)
