It was great news for the Georgia Bulldogs when starting center Sedrick Van Pran announced his return to Athens for the 2023 season back in January.
He could have left and been one of the top selected offensive linemen in the draft. Instead he wanted to stay for one more season in Athens and go for the three-peat. His reason was pretty simple.
“My love for the G,” Van Pran said when asked why he came back.
Van Pran’s return to Athens is huge for a Bulldogs offensive line that will have a very new look next season.
The 6-foot-4, 310-pound New Orleans native will be entering his fourth season at Georgia. He has started every game at center in each of the past two years, helping to anchor the Bulldogs’ two-time national championship-winning offensive line.
Georgia running back Kendall Milton discussed how important it is to have Van Pran back at center in 2023:
“It means the world to this team,” Milton said. “Me and Sedrick actually lived across the hall from each other. During that time, we would have little talks. I knew what he wanted; he knew what I wanted. He wanted the opportunity to leave one last mark and go out with a bang.
It’s awesome, too, because he’s one of those players who makes my job easier when he’s down there giving the points, for the pass protection and for the run-blocking. He makes my job easier because he makes it clear for the offense. He just makes everything go smooth and makes everybody’s job a lot easier.”
Van Pran and Georgia are just a few sessions in to spring practice, but the fourth year center likes what he sees from the Bulldogs’ new offense that features a new offensive coordinator in Mike Bobo.
“I want to thank [Todd] Monken for everything he did; he deserves everything he’s got. But I think Coach Bobo has done a tremendous job stepping in. He’s brought a lot of energy and there’s a lot of different things that he presents,” Van Pran said. “Honestly, it’s been kind of fun having the challenges of these new people. Really, how we look at it is it’s a new offensive team. We’re approaching it like it is something new.”
