Georgia football: Lamont Gaillard was truly rare

Lamont Gaillard will leave the Georgia football program after playing a key role on the offensive line for three years but he’s a dying bread at UGA where 5-star linemen are now the norm.

When Lamont Gaillard steps onto the field one final time for Georgia, he’ll be finishing off one heck of a career in Athens. Having arrived as a part of the 2014 recruiting class, Gaillard was expected to be a defensive lineman. He never seemed to fit in there but a change onto the other side of the ball before Kirby Smart’s arrival changed everything. What followed was 3 seasons as a starter including two as the center on one of the best offensive lines in the country.

Gaillard’s success is particularly impressive because he achieved it going against some very talented young players. The past two seasons, Gaillard held of UGA’s talented young offensive linemen and continued to be one of their best players. That’s incredibly impressive because guys like Trey Hill and Jamaree Slayer all had the talent to beat him out. But Gaillard never looked like losing his job and now, I honestly think he’s got a chance to be the next great UGA center in the NFL. Ben Jones and David Andrews are about to welcome a new member to their fraternity.

Gaillard’s success was rare in this day and age. How often does a player fail at a university, switch positions and become a dominant player? Not very often but that’s exactly what Gaillard did. In doing so, he’s given himself an excellent chance to be drafted, something Andrews himself never achieved.

One of the most understated players in the Georgia team, the offensive line will miss Gaillard. The leadership mantle now passes on to Andrew Thomas and Ben Cleveland, two players who will both need to step up next year with Gaillard gone. He’s not going to be easy to replace and that’s pretty much the best thing you can say about any offensive linemen, even when a team is as talented at UGA is.