Georgia Football: How UGA’s offensive line turned it around in 2017

When Georgia Football won the SEC Championship this past weekend, their offensive line stepped up and played their best game of the season.

Looking back at the game this Saturday, there were a lot of takeaways that I could make. The improved play of the offensive line was just one of many factors that went UGA’s victory. However, this Georgia Football team would not be heading to the College Football Playoffs without a dramatic improvement from their offensive line this year.

While I gave a lot of credit to different areas yesterday, I really wanted to do something focused on the line today. These are the players who you never hear about unless they do something wrong. They won’t be remembered like Nick Chubb or Sony Michel, but without them, Georgia doesn’t win this championship.

This unit was a train wreck last season and it has completely turned around this year. They have gotten better as the year has gone on and it’s veterans have made tremendous strides in their play. So let’s start with a couple of those veterans who have truly set the stage for UGA’s line play going forward.

Tremendous improvement from seniors on the left side:

Isaiah Wynn is a special kind of person. Going into this year, I thought there was no way a guy who is just 6-2 could hold off the younger but bigger players from taking his spot. I was sure that he wouldn’t be able to hold his own at left tackle in the SEC.

Well, I was wrong. Because Wynn did just that and he did it incredibly well. Despite the fact that he often went up against players who were bigger than him, Wynn had his best season yet. He did so while playing the lines most important position. Not only did he protect the passer, but his run blocking improved this season as well. He helped spring running backs a lot more than he did in 2016.

I can’t mention Wynn without also talking about Kendall Baker. I honestly didn’t think for a second that Baker would win a job this year. He was terrible in 2016 and I had essentially written him off. But boy did he make me look stupid. Baker made the left guard spot his own for the entire season. He was never spectacular and you don’t see him putting in pancake blocks, but he was consistent and reliable. If you can find 5 guys like that, you can build an offensive line.

I can’t give enough credit to both of these guys. The improvement they have both made to their technique and their play in just 1 year has been incredible. As seniors, they both led and showed the younger players how hard work and grit pays off at their position. They have both set a terrific example for the guys that are going to come next.

This season will be the last for both in Athens and credit to both for changing how they will both be remembered. These guys will go down as DGD’s for a long time and their hard work will not be forgotten.