Georgia’s Kirby Smart talks using Dillon Bell at RB

Smart: ‘A lot of it has to do with the health of our backs.’

Georgia introduced an interesting wrinkle to its offense in Week 2. Sophomore wide receiver Dillon Bell lined up at running back and finished the Ball State game with three carries for 28 yards, including a 21-yard scamper for a touchdown.

Returning leading rushers Daijun Edwards (MCL) and Kendall Milton (hamstring) have both been hampered with injuries. While Milton has seen limited snaps in each of the first two games, Edwards has yet to make an appearance. Talented sophomore Branson Robinson is out for the 2023 season with a torn patella tendon.

Milton, true freshman Roderick Robinson, redshirt sophomore Cash Jones and redshirt freshman Andrew Paul have received the bulk of the carries so far this season, but Bell’s success might be worth exploring for the Bulldogs.

Head coach Kirby Smart explained using Bell at tailback on Monday.

First of all, Dillon Bell has been a selfless player. He’s done whatever we’ve asked. He’s a really good wideout. This has been going on for a while, so this is not something that’s new. We’ve done this a lot with a lot of players that are situationally at running back, having guys go back there and look, understand the certain plays they can run. He’s big enough, 200 pounds plus, to pick people up. He’s really physically tough, strikes people, so he can protect. He can do a lot of things from the backfield. It’s something that we’re always going to have as an option or in our package, but a lot of it has to do with the health of our backs.

Bell came to Athens as a three-star recruit rated as the No. 65 wideout in the 2022 recruiting class, per 247Sports.

Bell’s flexibility isn’t a surprise as he played wide receiver, running back and quarterback for Kinkaid High School (Houston, Texas).

You can catch Georgia versus South Carolina on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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The Bulldogs’ SEC opener will air on CBS.