As Georgia nears the end of spring practice, the interior offensive line is starting to take shape. With Justin Shaffer returning at left guard, Warren Ericson will presumably supplant Trey Hill at center. Ericson has taken on a more influential role as he enters his fourth year with the team.

“This spring, I wanted to come in and be a leader,” he said. “Jamaree (Salyer), Justin (Shaffer), and I wanted to set a standard of what we wanted the offensive line to look like by leading by example.”

All eyes will be on Ericson and redshirt freshman Sedrick Van Pran for the center role this fall, though Ericson noted that he has worked in at both guard spots as well. Ericson started at center against Missouri last season and against Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl.

Spring ball has provided Ericson and his teammates with the opportunity to hone their craft without the pressure of an ongoing season.

“I think spring ball is just a way for us to improve different techniques and get used to playing football again,” he said. “I think we’re really trying to focus on ourselves and take baby steps to improve every single day. I think the good thing about spring ball is there’s not really a set depth chart. Spring ball is all about getting better.”

Georgia has a history of producing NFL-caliber centers as Ben Jones, David Andrews, and Lamont Gaillard all reside in the league currently. Ericson mentioned both Andrews and Jones as players he looks up to.

“I remember during quarantine last year, we were able to get on Zoom with David Andrews,” he said. “It was really cool talking to him. We’re from the same area, so I was very familiar with him. He’s someone I’ve looked up to, so it was really cool to be able to talk with him.”

With G-Day coming this weekend, Ericson is looking forward to stepping inside an inhabited Sanford Stadium for the first time in a while.

“I’m really looking forward to G-Day and playing in Sanford Stadium with our fans again,” he said. “If we can be explosive in the pass game and the run game, that would be huge. As an offensive line, if we can take what we messed up early in the spring, take those critiques, and be able to improve and correct our techniques, that would be a successful day.”