VIDEO: Goliath OT Isaiah Wilson shares Georgia O-Line’s physical philosophy
ATHENS, Ga. — Kirby Smart has boiled the 2019 game plan down to one word, “domination,” and it is catching fast in the Georgia football clubhouse.
Isaiah Wilson, the Bulldogs’ hulking 6-foot-7, 340-pound right tackle and a 2018 FWAA Freshman All-American, made that much perfectly clear recently.
“I want to physically beat you,” Wilson told WSB-2 on the Bulldog Game Day broadcast. “So I want to run the ball and put my helmet in your ribs, and I want to beat you and make you not want to play anymore.”
Smart has said since taking over the Georgia football program that the Bulldogs would always be able to run the football. Indeed, UGA led the SEC in rushing last season with 238.8 yards per game.
Georgia will take advantage of third-year starting quarterback Jake Fromm and the talents of their backs’ ability to catch the football this season while still fearing a power running element.
“I really just want our guys to dominate the guy that lines up across from them, it’s just that simple,” Smart said at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin last week. “If every guy that we put on the field can dominate the guy across from him, then I think we’ll come out ahead and I’ll be happy about it.”
Wilson said he knows most offensive linemen salivate at the thought of playing smash-mouth football via the run game.
“I think that goes for most SEC offensive linemen, but especially this line,” Wilson said. “We want to beat you.”
The Georgia offensive line is expected to be one of the best in college football this season, if not the best.
Great to have the fellas back to get this season started. #GoDawgs #yessirr pic.twitter.com/bfQhz7upbE
— Coach Sam Pittman (@CoachSamPittman) June 3, 2019
Junior left tackle Andrew Thomas has been projected as a top-five pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and is among the favorites for the Outland Trophy.
Junior offensive guards Solomon Kindley and Ben Cleveland have both been projected as NFL picks expected to go in the first three rounds of the draft should they declare.
Six of the UGA players have starting experience, and sophomore Jamaree Salyer was the No. 1 offensive guard prospect in the nation in the 2018 class and was competing for a starting job in spring drills.
“Most people struggle to get two O-lines out there,” Smart said at the G-Day Game. “We’re having a hard time getting a lot of kids playing time. It’s a good group.
“Competition helps, we’ve had a great rotation, guys have competed really hard at right guard, Cade Mays has done a great job competing over there, right tackle is really up for grabs, both guys are competing, there’s a lot of positions in there that guys continue to get better.”
Judging from Wilson’s comments, he doesn’t plan on losing his job at right tackle — and whoever lines up across from him will likely pay the price for that.
He’s 6’7″ 340 pounds and he wants to beat you.@_LayZay_ probably will.
More with Wilson & @FootballUGA at 10am on @WSBbulldogs on Channel 2. pic.twitter.com/J8xwZTwbkE— Bulldogs Game Day (@WSBbulldogs) June 1, 2019
