Georgia 'being careful' with likely starting center Jared Wilson
ATHENS, Ga. — Jared Wilson, Georgia’s projected starting center in 2024, has been quite limited in the Bulldogs’ past few preseason practices but second-year offensive coordinator Mike Bobo indicated to reporters on Thursday that he’s not dealing with a serious injury. The fourth-year junior is banged up but it appears as if UGA is in precautionary mode.
“Jared has missed some things but he’s gotten to do as much as possible,” Bobo said. “That’s a very important position in the offensive unit. They communicate, really to everybody, what goes on up front and Jared is still able to do that in a large majority of what we’re doing. We’re just being careful with Jared but it also gives guys more opportunities to work at center and make those calls.”
Wilson signed with Georgia in the 2021 class along with a few other highly-touted linemen. Wilson was one of the lowest-ranked of the bunch, finishing the cycle as the nation’s No. 211 overall prospect according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the No. 13 interior offensive lineman and the No. 12 player in North Carolina.
It wasn’t long after Wilson enrolled before the chatter started to pick up. Wilson was tabbed early on as a freakish athlete who had potential to be a really good player at either guard or center. Wilson began to work almost exclusively at center in spring of 2023 and became the her apparent to Sedrick Van Pran-Granger by the end of preseason camp.
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While it sounds like Wilson’s status for Georgia’s season opener vs. Clemson (August 31 at 12 p.m. ET on ABC), the Bulldogs do have to make due in the mean time. That means more reps for Drew Bobo and fifth-year senior Tate Ratledge, the Bulldogs starting right guard from the past two seasons. The silver lining here is that Wilson’s absence is allowing them to get plenty of work.
“We lost a four-year starter in (Sedrick) Van Pran that has made the calls 100 times and is confident making those calls and communicating,” Bobo said. “So everything we do, from walkthrough to practice, is an opportunity for those centers, that Jared is not getting work, to make calls and communicate with those other guys. It’s probably more important this year because we have so many young linemen that might not be able to hear the call and know what they’ve got. A lot of times that center has got to pass everything down the line and make the call front side and back side for those guys. It’s a little bit uncomfortable for guys like Drew but the only way they’re going to get comfortable with it is to keep doing it and put them under those pressure situations.”
