Sedrick Van Pran leaving Georgia with lasting impact on Bulldog leadership

Sedrick Van Pran might not get the same kind of treatment as Brock Bowers on his way out the door from Georgia, being regarded as one of the greatest players in program history, but the Bulldog offensive lineman certainly belongs in a category that features just a handful of those to wear the red and black.

Van Pran arrived in Athens in 2020 and spent his first season on the sideline, redshirting as Trey Hill held the center position. Then, after his competition, Warren Ericson, for the starting spot suffered a broken hand during fall camp in 2021, Van Pran was elevated into the lineup. He didn’t look back.

A starter for 44 straight games, Georgia went 42-2 with Van Pran manning the middle of the offensive line. His leadership was obvious, and so too was his impact as a key contributor to three undefeated regular seasons, two National Championship winning teams and the SEC’s longest-ever win streak of 29 games.

“Yeah, that’s hard to do. 44th start is incredible in this league, the amount of physicality on the offensive line and defensive lines in our league is brutal, and he’s stayed healthy. He’s competed. Probably one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said of Van Pran after the Orange Bowl.

“He got the most votes for captain, but not as many as some of our other years. We’ve had guys really get an outlandish numbers of votes, Azeez and Nakobe. What was amazing was how consistent Sed has been as a leader,” he continued. “He doesn’t really care what you think about him. He’ll say anything he wants to the team, and he doesn’t care what anybody in that room thinks about him. That’s kind of the way the center has got to be. Got to be a little bit of an asshole, and he’s not afraid to do that.”

Van Pran, who could have easily turned pro after the 2022 season and still been one of the top interior offensive linemen taken, made the decision to return to Athens for another season in 2023 back in January. There was a lot on his heart at the time in the aftermath of losing a teammate and friend Devin Willock. Ask Van Pran about the reason why he decided to run it back for another season, and it was simple: “Love for the G.”

That “Love for the G” was easy to see in 2023. Smart said that Van Pran’s practice habits were ones that would be talked about and shown to players for years to come. He also made sure to rub those off on his teammates this year.

“We knew when he decided to come back it would impact our team in more ways than snaps and blocks,” Smart said. “He would be a major figure in pushing guys to be excellent, to reach their goal. He’s one of the most driven, dynamic leaders I’ve ever been around. He just cares so much and is so selfless … He’s one of the guys that doesn’t look out for himself. He pushes everybody, and that’s hard to find, and he’s certainly a super high-quality leader.”

“On the field, I have more trust in Sed than I’ve ever had next to anybody I’ve played with. Off the field, me and him are like brothers,” Georgia offensive lineman Tate Ratledge added during the season. “We are always together, always hanging out, always watching film together. Me and him have definitely built a special bond over the past 3-4 years that we’ve been here.”

WATCH: Sedrick Van Pran reflects on 2023 season in exclusive interview with DawgsHQ

Van Pran was called the “captain of the ship” by one teammate during the season. Kirby Smart said that his leadership style was “just unheard of in this day and age.” And while not having to worry about whether the snap would arrive to the quarterback without issue was great, it’s that leadership that’ll be missed most with Van Pran’s departure.

“I got goose bumps going down my back when they went down and scored and Sedrick Van Pran was yelling at the defense to run off the field. ‘We got your back. We got your back. We’re going to be fine,'” Smart said after the Missouri game, asked about his team’s response and handling of close calls.

Notice it was Van Pran that was there as the team’s top leader through it all? From speaking on behalf of the team at SEC Media Days back-to-back years to his presence on the field, sideline and in the locker room, there’s no denying that Van Pran acted as Georgia’s largest leader of the last few years.

“Yeah, I mean, he’s meant everything to this program and meant everything to me as well,” quarterback Carson Beck, a recruiting class-mate of Van Pran’s in the 2020 signees, said. “You know, the relationship that we’ve built over the past four years has been definitely something special and definitely something special to me. Obviously, to lose a guy like that, it’s always hard. Just how smart he is, you know, the leadership that he brings to our team, someone’s definitely going to have to step up and, you know, fill that role, which isn’t going to be easy. But he’s meant everything to this university and obviously you know, he’s given his heart to it.”

“He’s got a love for the game I’ve never seen from anybody before,” Ratledge, another member of the Class of 2020, added during the season. “Last night we were in there watching film ’til 10:00. He picks out stuff you would never think to look at. I’ve definitely learned from that. He has a great mind for football, and it’s his love the game that’s kept him going. You see that day in and day out with him.”

The hope of those within the program is that Georgia’s young players saw how Van Pran handled himself and take it as a standard and example to learn from. It’s how Smart says Van Pran learned, and it’s how his impact can continue on beyond his years in Athens.

“Character, leadership, charisma, heart, not afraid to speak up,” Smart said ahead of Senior Day, speaking on what it was that Van Pran brought to the program. “Look, all the great leaders we have this year, they learned two years ago from a great leadership class. That leadership class learned from a really good, you learn from those before you.”

“Those that laid the foundation all the way back to Nick and Sony have trickled down to everybody else,” he continued. “When you have good core people, you’re not going to win every game. It’s just not going to happen. You’re not going to do that. But if you put good people in the program and you demand excellence and you hold them to a standard and you pay attention to every little detail, eventually you get pretty good leadership out of people. We’ve been bearing the fruits of a lot of work that we’ve put into these players really from COVID on.”