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How is Georgia football's offensive line 'way ahead' of expectations?

Ben Cleveland recently told reporters that Georgia football's offensive line is "way ahead of where most people think [it] should be right now.”

In the Kirby Smart era of Georgia football, the Bulldogs' offenses have been defined by their dominant offensive lines. After an offseason that saw three veterans leave for the NFL and an up-and-comer transfer to an SEC rival, that reputation was at risk. 

On top of that, spring practices were canceled, taking a valuable month of work away from the team. But according to fifth-year senior Ben Cleveland, there's no need to worry, Georgia's offensive line is way ahead of schedule.

“I’m definitely very pleasantly surprised where we’ve ended up so far," Cleveland said. "It was kind of difficult not having a spring ball, and stuff like that. It put a lot of stress on all of us to learn this new offense, and pick up on everything in a lot shorter amount of time than what we would normally have. 

"I think our guys have handled it extremely well. We’ve been progressing every single day. I think we’re way ahead of where most people think we should be.”

How has Georgia managed to get ahead of schedule despite all of the changes on the depth chart coaching staff, and despite COVID-19 taking away the spring practice season?

Leadership

Having strong leadership goes a long way in helping a position group progress quickly. Despite all of the losses Georgia's offensive line endured after 2019, leadership has never been a concern. 

Cleveland is a fifth-year senior who has been starting since 2017. Trey Hill, a junior, started every game at center last season and played meaningful minutes at the position in 2018, while also starting four games at right guard. Another junior Jamaree Salyer has only a handful of starts, but he was a reliable backup lineman as a freshman and sophomore and has never struggled to receive playing time.

Cleveland, Hill and Salyer are three players any team in the nation would love to build their offensive line around. Georgia, fortunately, is building around that core with numerous, elite offensive line prospects. Which brings us to...

Successful recruiting

It's easy to develop an offensive line when the talent pool is so rich. Georgia signed three of the nation's best offensive line prospects in the 2020 class, including Broderick Jones, a consensus five-star. Xavier Truss and Warren McClendon, four stars from the 2019 class, are in the thick of competition at the available positions. 

Matt Luke's philosophy plus Todd Monken's new offense

Georgia's offense has been overhauled completely. Not only is new offensive coordinator Todd Monken introducing a balanced spread scheme, new o-line coach Matt Luke is changing the offensive line's philosophy. The result is an offensive line that meshes better with Georgia's overall offense.

No more trying to overpower loaded boxes. Monken is working on a passing attack that'll keep opposing defenses from loading the box too often. Meanwhile, Luke's philosophy will make better use of the athletes on Georgia's offensive line.

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