This article was originally published with Dawgs247 on October 27, 2015 and can be found here.

ATHENS — The Georgia offensive line was “whipped” in the Florida game according to Mark Richt, which did not sit well with the Bulldogs head coach. It appears changes have been made as a result.

Georgia’s coaches moved around their offensive linemen during Tuesday’s practice. The line featured three former starters shifted to new spots. Left guard Isaiah Wynn moved to left tackle, right tackle Kolton Houston shifted to left guard and left tackle John Theus went to right tackle. Brandon Kublanow remained at center, while a new player stood at right guard.

Sophomore Dyshon Sims worked opposite Houston at guard, replacing junior Greg Pyke. A sophomore from Valdosta, Georgia, Sims was a four-star offensive linemen out of Lowndes High School when he signed with the Bulldogs in Feb. 2014. The six-foot-four, 293-pound Sims made appearances in eight games during his freshman season and has been a backup through eight games in 2015.

Although Sims has yet to start for the Bulldogs, his teammates sound confident in his ability. Senior defensive lineman Chris Mayes has faced him in practice and raved about what he could bring to the struggling offensive line.

“I’ve been against him a few times,” Mayes said. “Great guy and a great player. He’s stronger than he looks. He has pretty solid technique. He’s a young guy who when he gets everything down, he’s going to be a great player.”

Mayes said Sims’ lack of play this season is due to a depth chart filled with upperclassmen. Mayes explained that the 19-year-old knows the plays and would be prepared to start against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. He deemed Sims’ hand placement to be “excellent”, something you don’t always hear about a young collegiate lineman.

Houston talked about the transition on the line and revealed that this was not a new concept. The senior explained the coaching staff mixed and matched the offensive line unit during the bye week before the Florida game and prior to the season at fall camp. In need of a spark, the shift was decided on for this week.

Houston sees potential in the team’s new right guard.

“He’s a fast-twitch guy,” Houston said. “He plays with a lot of effort. We’ll look for him to help us out.”

Part of what makes Sims stand out to Mayes is his run blocking, which explains his insertion into the lineup. Georgia failed to regulate the run game against the Gators and left the loss with 69 yards and a measly 3.1 yards per carry. Richt pointed a great deal of the problem towards the offensive line’s play against a Gators’ defense that continues to wreck opposing offenses.

With the Bulldogs now sitting on two consecutive games and 134 minutes and 53 seconds of play without any touchdowns, a change was deemed as necessary. Since the offense was powered by its rushing attack for the first half of the season, a move to bolster its chances on the ground was a logical one.

Senior tight end Jay Rome shares the same hometown as Sims and has known him since the two were in high school, Rome at Valdosta and Sims at Lowndes. Rome said Sims has always been a hard worker and uses his IQ to his advantage on the field.

As far as Rome is concerned, recent moves like putting Sims among the first stringers look and feel like ones that will point the Bulldogs back in the right direction.

“I feel like the coaches know what they’re doing,” Rome said. “We trust them. We’re trying to trust in ourselves more as players. We’re trusting what the coaches are doing and we’re working on the small changes they’ve been making.”