Dawn of the Dawg
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Georgia Football Awards for the 2017 team

By Alistair Penny

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Head Coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs is presented the trophy after the Bulldogs beat the Oklahoma Sooners 54-48 in double overtime in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Head Coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs is presented the trophy after the Bulldogs beat the Oklahoma Sooners 54-48 in double overtime in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 02: The Georgia Bulldogs line up against the Auburn Tigers during the first half in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 2, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 02: The Georgia Bulldogs line up against the Auburn Tigers during the first half in the SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 2, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Assistant Coach of the Year

Sam Pittman: Offensive Line

There were a lot of units that improved this past year. But none came on more than the offensive line which went from being the clear weakness on the 2016 team to one of the strengths of 2017. Sam Pittman deserves an awful lot of credit for being able to develop and maximize the talent that he had last year. That’s why he takes this award.

While Pittman has just concluded the best recruiting class of offensive linemen we have seen at Georgia in a very long time, his work on the field was just as impressive. Ben Cleveland and Andrew Thomas were two players that he recruited and both were just freshmen this season.

Those two were the only players on the line that had the size that Pittman traditionally looks for. However as previously mentioned, Isaiah Wynn turned himself a potential top NFL draft pick this season. Lamont Gaillard went from a defensive lineman to an above average starter at center. Kendall Baker struggled for much of his career but became a solid player this season.

Pittman proved that not only can he recruit, but he can develop players. He turned something that once was a weakness into a strength for Georgia and he did so without the ideal talent. It’s going to be great to see how Pittman continues to develop these young players over the next few years.

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