Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
Title:
Center
Major:
Interdisciplinary Art
Year:
Class of 2024
Hometown:
New Orleans, LA
Long before Sedrick Van Pran-Granger was snapping the ball and protecting Stetson Bennett in front of the roaring crowds at national championship games in Lucas Oil Stadium and SoFi Stadium, he was a kid growing up in New Orleans.
On one particular day around first grade, as he now remembers it, he had just finished his homework at the table and was waiting for his mother, Keon, to check it. While waiting, he started doodling a picture of a clown from an image on a children’s card game.
“My dad ended up coming home from work, and he was like, ‘Man, that's really good,’” Sedrick says.
After some nudging from his parents, the young Sedrick took a test that measured his artistic talent. He nailed it and ended up in a New Orleans visual art program.
As he grew and his parents kept at him, Sedrick continued to develop the skills of an artist, just as his size and athleticism helped him develop into an elite football player. He’d sometimes re-create weapons from his favorite video games, like making ninja throwing stars with paper and tape. He also explored fashion design by hot-gluing fabric together to create a hat.
Today, he is the starting center and co-captain for the back-to-back champion Georgia Bulldogs. He’s also an interdisciplinary art major at the Lamar Dodd School of Art focusing on graphic design.
“I think somebody that's consistent always has a chance to be a good leader for the simple fact: you don’t give people the opportunity to question what you’re saying because you’re always doing what you’re preaching.”
Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
Center
Those two parts of Sedrick—the physical and aggressive football player and the thoughtful, patient artist—aren’t as different from each other as you might think.
“One thing I’ve noticed is that motivated artists just can’t leave (an artistic endeavor) alone until it’s where it needs to be,” he says. “That’s something I feel with football. A lot of time, I cannot just rest.”
For example, he says he can’t fall asleep some nights because he’s thinking over plays or brainstorming ways to improve the team. On other nights, he might be up until nearly dawn going through round after round of finishing touches for a painting.
“There's definitely a correlation there of just being a perfectionist and wanting to do all you can for your craft.”
As for his craft in football, his playing speaks for itself. He has started every game for the Bulldogs for the two previous championship seasons. But more than a skilled player, his teammates also call him an effective captain.
“He's our best leader, no question about it,” says Ladd McConkey, wide receiver for the Bulldogs. “Him being on the field is having another coach out there. He really loves the game of football, and he loves being around the guys. That's what I love about him. He just cares so much, and you can see it in everything he does.”
For his part, Sedrick says, becoming a leader isn’t so easy. It requires consistency and an understanding of how to communicate with each teammate.
“After that, it’s going the extra mile,” he says. “A lot of time, to be honest with you, I don’t want to do certain things extra. But I feel like I have to because, as the leader of the team, if I’m not doing it, I’m probably letting down the guys in the locker room.”
When he’s not practicing, going to class, or creating art, Sedrick likes to be involved in the community. For one thing, he wants to spend time with people who are unhoused.
“Sometimes you may just want to go do something on a Saturday like, ‘Let me just go and buy some food, hang out for a little bit, get to know these people.”
He also tries to take opportunities to get into schools around the Athens area to read with students and motivate them about school. When he was young, New Orleans Saints’ Cam Jordan visited his school, and it made an impression.
“That was huge for me because just seeing the New Orleans Saints player,” he says. “That was kind of a really, really cool experience for me to kind of see him and think, ‘Maybe that could be me one day.’”
And while he might not yet be suited up for an NFL team, he is living his dream right now. Perhaps the best way to sum up his approach to his final year at Georgia is to consider his pre-game speech to players before the 2023 season opener (as paraphrased by Sedrick).
“You go through all of this throughout the summer, spring, winter, and what was it for? What were the reasons you may have had times when you didn't want to do it? You may have wanted to give up, but you kept fighting. What was all of that for? Just go out there and enjoy it. Before you look up, it'll be over. Really take the time and enjoy it, and whether you’re playing or not, make sure that y’all are being joyous and supporting your brothers because, at some point, it’ll be your turn, and you’ll want your brothers to do the same for you. Man, just go out there and have fun.”
