Warren Ericson injury will shake up entire Georgia offensive line

Georgia starting center Warren Ericson is expected to miss a few weeks of practice due to a hand injury.

Whether or not Ericson will be able to suit up for Georgia’s first game against Clemson is yet to be seen. But the absence of Ericson will play a huge part in how Georgia goes about preparing for that massive season-opener.

“If we’re going to be a good team, we’ve got to protect the quarterback and we’ve got to be able to run the ball,” Kirby Smart said after Georgia’s spring game. “That’s one of the areas we’re going to have to take the largest leaps to get where we want to go.”

Ericson started the final two games of the 2020 season at center for Georgia and the expectation was that he would hold down that job to open 2021. He had served as the sixth-man on the offensive line for much of the 2020 season, giving him plenty of experience.

Redshirt freshman Sedrick Van Pran is expected to take over the first-team reps for Ericson, but Van Pran played in just four games last season. The New Orleans native does have some upside, as he was the No. 60 overall prospect and the No. 1 ranked center in the 2020 247Sports Composite rankings.

Other players vying for playing time include fellow 2020 signees in Austin Blaske and Cameron Kinnie.

Point being, in the event that Ericson can’t go for the first game against Clemson, Georgia will be starting someone who will be making their first collegiate start at center. They’ll also be facing one of the top defensive lines in the country, as the Tigers bring back the likes of Tyler Davis, Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy.

The situation isn’t ideal. And with Ericson out injured, it’s also fair to wonder how his absence might impact the rest of Georgia’s unsolved offensive line.

Coming into fall camp, the thought was there were six players competing for five starting spots on the offensive line. Warren McClendon and Ericson seemed like locks to start at right tackle and center, respectively. Justin Shaffer and Jamaree Salyer were likely starters, but their positioning would depend on how Xavier Truss and Tate Ratledge developed.

Truss is hoping to be Georgia’s starting left tackle. If he ends up being a better option there than Ratledge at right guard, Salyer would move to left guard and Shaffer to right guard. In the event that Ratledge outshines Truss, Salyer would man the left tackle position and Shaffer would land at left guard. Salyer and Shaffer started nine games at those two positions in 2020 before moving to left guard and right guard for the bowl game against Cincinnati.

Between the two, Truss and Ratledge have one combined start which came in the Peach Bowl against the Bearcats. It was not the best of debuts for Truss, though it’s fair to point out Cincinnati was one of the best defenses in college football in 2020. With Clemson having a similarly stout defense, it would be a very big ask for Ratledge to make his first start against Clemson in that spot.

Continuity and chemistry are key along the offensive line. How the rest of the group now gels with a new lead voice at center will be worth monitoring for the Bulldogs. Ericson, as centers do, would make calls for the offensive line while also identifying the middle linebacker.

Georgia does have some time to figure the offensive line out, as the Clemson game is still weeks away. You can bet offensive line coach Matt Luke and Kirby Smart will consider all options ahead of the opener against Clemson. They’ll have to now as the Ericson injury has introduced even more uncertainty to what was an unsettled offensive line.

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