It starts up front. Kirby Smart has made this the clear focus of the program from the moment he set foot on campus. He and Sam Pittman have sought to recruit the best offensive linemen in the nation. From the recruiting perspective, we know Georgia has been winning the offensive line battle. Also, we know high star rankings do not guarantee production on the field. Could 2019 be the season where both the stars on the recruiting trail line up with elite production on the field and give the Bulldogs the best offensive line in college football? Let’s examine the data.

Earlier this offseason, PFF’s Cam Mellor discussed the talent Oregon will boast on the offensive line this season as they return all five starters from a season ago, including three who graded at 83.9 or higher. Another team that returns all five starters is Auburn, with two of those players grading out at 78.0 and 84.2. Meanwhile, Georgia returns both high-level production and, possibly more importantly, depth. The Dawgs do have to replace 2,453 career snaps and their leader in the middle in Lamont Gaillard (career high 78.2 grade in 2018), but six linemen with at least 100 snaps and an overall 2018 grade greater than 70.0 return--more than any team in the country.

Let’s first compare those three teams as a unit from a season ago.