UGA Football OL Sedrick Van Pran Talks Carson Beck and Team Identity
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and UGA football are less than a week away from their 2023 season opener against Tennessee Tech.
Fall is finally here, and the Bulldogs will start their journey to. a possible “three-peat” on Saturday night Between the Hedges.
There may be a new face at quarterback, but along the offensive line, there are plenty of returners back another year. Of course, that unit is led by starting center, Sedrick Van Pran.
The big 6-foot-4 310-pounder from New Orleans is a, AP Preseason All-America First Team member who will anchor arguably the best offensive line in college football. Again.
Kirby Smart loves the maturity this team has, and Van Pran is one of the mature, talented leaders in the locker room. He’s a young man that means business, and he wants to leave Athens next year a three-time champion.
The outstanding center spoke with reporters on Monday about the team’s identity, progress on the offensive line, playing with Carson Beck, and more.
On the identity of the team this season...
"Definitely still working, always looking to be better. Very happy with what we've accomplished so far in camp. Really hopeful that this could be a good year for us. Really excited about the progression that some of the young guys are making and really just building the team together but always looking to get better and always looking to improve."
On the progress of the offensive line...
"I think the biggest would have to be some of the guys that maybe didn't play a lot last year. Watching some of those guys that are sophomores and juniors start to step up and really find their footing and be able to play some really good ball. I'm really excited about those guys. You talk about the Jared Wilson's, the Dylan Fairchild's, the Micah Morris's, even Monroe Freeling and all of those guys. It's really exciting just to see them come and find their footing, it's really amazing.”
On working with Carson Beck...
"It's obviously a different relationship, everybody's different and everybody has their own unique set of ways they like to do things. With Carson, the biggest thing has just been making sure that we're both seeing things and communicating about it. I think a lot of times on the field, you kind of get into a funk where you may just get caught up in doing your job. I think it's really important to make sure that you're communicating with the guy behind you, or in his case in front of you, to make sure that you're both seeing things. Really familiar with each other. We kind of came in with each other so it's been pretty good. I've really enjoyed it. He jokingly says that we're back reunited so it's really good to have him back there and work with him."
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About UT Martin
The Skyhawks are members of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are the two-time defending champions of the Oho Valley Conference. FCS teams can have a maximum of 63 scholarships and split them up however they want. The Skyhawks went 7-4 last season and fell 65-24 at No. 3 Tennessee. They are coached by Jason Simpson who is in his 18th season at the helm with a record of 107-84 (.560).
Did You Know? Simpson gave Bulldog defensive line coach Tray Scott his first full-time job when he hired him to coach UT-Martin’s defensive line in 2013. Simpson began his collegiate career as a football/baseball player at Mississippi State and concluded his career playing baseball at Southern Miss.
We’ve Gone Streaking
* The Bulldogs are 29-1 in their last 30 games including winning back-to-back national championships. Georgia enters the 2023 season on a 17-game winning streak, which is tied for the school record. The Bulldogs won 17 in a row from 1945-47 while the current stretch of success began with a 34-11 win over Michigan in the 2021 CFP semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl.
* Georgia has won 27 consecutive regular season games dating back to a 31-24 home victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 21, 2020. The school record is 28 in a row from 1981-83.
* Georgia’s longest home winning streak is 24 set from 1980-83. Currently, the Bulldogs have won 18 straight at home. The current streak began with a 21-0 win over Kentucky on Oct. 19, 2019.
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