Sedrick Van Pran reveals the toughest players he's blocked against

Having been a starter in the SEC for the past two seasons, Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran has gone up against the best of the best. That includes not only his opponents in games, but his teammates on the practice field.

Georgia has seen four of its defensive linemen be drafted to the NFL over the past two seasons and Van Pran had a chance to face them all. Speaking with On3‘s Andy Staples, he provided a long list of all the players who gave him the most trouble.

“In practice, it could be one of three guys to be honest with you,” he said. “It could be Jalen Carter. It could be Devonte Wyatt. It could be Jordan Davis. But to be honest with you, those three guys along with everybody else is interchangeable.

“I would say in-game, there’s been a lot of good guys. Ohio State had some really good D-linemen. (Former Florida defensive lineman) Gervon Dexter was really good. The guys at Missouri are really good. Guys at South Carolina are really good. It just keeps going on and on. To be honest, it’s hard to pinpoint just one guy when it feels like every single week you’re playing a high-caliber guy.”

It seems fitting that Van Pran listed three Georgia players while only listing one name outside the program, Dexter. The Bulldogs have put forth what many regard as the best defensive line in all of college football over the past two seasons. They ranked first in 2022 with 77.1 rushing yards allowed per game after coming in second the year prior with 78.9.

That has helped mold Van Pran into a preseason All-SEC first team member heading into 2023, as well as one of the top offensive lineman prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“I think they helped out tremendously,” he said. “Coach Smart is a firm believe in iron sharpens iron. So I think going against those guys every day ultimately helped me to be able to play well enough to help win games.”

Although all of the players Van Pran mentioned have since moved on to the NFL, he’ll still have his hands full in practice this season. Defensive lineman Mykel Williams is back after recording a team-high 4.5 sacks in 2022, as is starter Nazir Stackhouse. Like Van Pran, both players were first team preseason All-SEC selections.

That should again help Van Pran to be prepared for whomever lines up across from him on game day as the Bulldogs prepare to defend their national title.