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A long list of injuries for Georgia this spring
Coming off of their first national title since 1980, the Georgia Bulldogs will be returning many of the key players from their 2021 championship team.
However, several stars and incoming recruits are expected to miss significant time during spring practice due to injury. While this does not mean that these players will not be ready come September 3 for Georgia’s opener against Oregon, their recoveries will be closely monitored as the season approaches.
Here’s an updated look at No. 1 Georgia’s injury situation headed to Tennessee…
No. 1 Georgia (9-0) will face Tennessee (5-4) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in Knoxville.
The Bulldogs are coming off a dominant 43-6 win over Missouri in Athens, and the Volunteers are coming off a 45-42 win at No. 18 Kentucky.
There is some good news on the Georgia injury front.
Quarterback J.T. Daniels is healthy after missing four weeks with a lat injury, and two wideouts have added depth to a receiver room decimated with injuries.
Receivers Jermaine Burton and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint have seen the field the last two weeks. Burton caught three passes for 76 yards and a touchdown versus the Tigers.
We learned on Thursday that the receiver position took another hit. Redshirt freshman receiver and the fastest player on the Georgia team, Arian Smith, suffered a broken leg during practice and will require surgery.
Smith is a track star for the Bulldogs and just saw his first action against Missouri after missing four games. Smith caught a 35-yard touchdown versus the Tigers.
Georgia is still missing starting left tackle and preseason All-American Jamaree Salyer due to a foot injury. UGA coach Kirby Smart said Salyer may be able to go this week in Knoxville.
Here’s an updated UGA injury report for the matchup with Tennessee:
Here’s Georgia’s injury status headed into the matchup with Missouri…
No. 1 Georgia (8-0) will face Missouri (4-4) at noon this Saturday in Athens.
The Bulldogs are coming off of a dominant 34-7 win over Florida in Jacksonville and Missouri is coming off of a 37-28 win over Vanderbilt.
Georgia has been dealing with an injury bug since the start of fall camp.
Starting quarterback J.T. Daniels has been down since playing the first quarter at Vanderbilt in Week 4, and the UGA receiver room has been decimated at times throughout the season.
While the Bulldogs haven’t missed a beat thanks to a top defense and the play of Stetson Bennett under center, it’s always a positive to have talented players available.
The good news for Georgia is that both Daniels and several wideouts are getting back to playing shape.
Here’s an updated UGA injury report for the matchup with Missouri:
Several Bulldogs will be back in action vs. the Gators on Saturday…
No. 1 Georgia (7-0) will face Florida (4-3) on Saturday in Jacksonville.
The Bulldogs are coming off a much needed bye week after dealing with multiple injuries to key players each week of the season so far.
There are several guys expected to return for the rivalry, but there are also more names on our list for week-nine.
Here’s an updated look at Georgia’s injury situation ahead of the matchup with UF.
Georgia is getting a couple of key players back this week for the matchup with Arkansas.
No. 2 Georgia has played without some of its key players so far this season, but the Bulldogs look to get a couple of those stars back for the top-10 matchup with Arkansas this Saturday.
After his second game back from an oblique injury, star quarterback J.T. Daniels is once again on our injury report. Daniels made his return versus South Carolina after missing the UAB and then started in last week’s blowout victory over Vanderbilt. What we didn’t find out until Monday, is that the junior signal-caller had been dealing with a lat injury, which is still bothering him this week.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart is optimistic about Daniels’ status, though, and we should see him make his 4th start of the year against the Razorbacks.
Receiver Kearis Jackson has returned to full-speed after recovering from a knee procedure in fall camp. The leading pass catcher from a year ago only returned punts versus Clemson and UAB but was back at receiver against South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
Fellow wideout Arian Smith missed last week’s game due to a bone contusion (bruise), but is expected to be available this week.
Smart updated the status of both tight end Darnell Washington and defensive back Tykee Smith in a press conference on Monday. Both stars have been cleared and were a ‘full go’ at practice this week. Smart said he expects both to take the field on Saturday.
Receiver Dominick Blaylock , who after working his way back from an ACL tear suffered last year, had a setback last week with a tweaked hamstring. Smart said this week that Blaylock is still working his way back.
Star wideout George Pickens is rehabbing an ACL tear suffered in the spring. The junior was seen straight-line and running and catching passes at practice the last two weeks, signaling his recovery is on pace.
LSU transfer Arik Gilbert is still not with the team due to personal reasons.
Here’s an updated injury report for Saturday’s big matchup in Athens.
Georgia is once again dealing with multiple injuries ahead of kickoff. Here’s an updated injury report for Saturday night’s matchup vs. South Carolina.
UGA takes on South Carolina this Saturday night in the SEC opener.
It hasn’t all been peaches and cream for No. 2 Georgia. The injury bug has bitten the Bulldogs early and often so far this season.
This week Georgia lost reserve inside linebacker Rian Davis to a knee injury suffered in practice. Davis underwent successful surgery and is expected to be out for the year.
Star quarterback J.T. Daniels is still nursing a core injury that could keep him sidelined for a second game. Coach Kirby Smart did say on Wednesday that Daniels feels the best he has and his recovery is moving in the right direction.
Daniels did split first-team reps with backup Stetson Bennett in practice this week. Knowing Smart, we won’t find out who will start under center until Saturday.
On the outside, star receiver Dominick Blaylock is close to taking the field after working his way back from an ACL tear suffered last year. Smart said Blaylock is almost 100% but it’s a ‘confidence thing’ for the redshirt sophomore.
Kearis Jackson, the leading pass catcher a year ago, only returned punts against Clemson and UAB but should be back to catching passes soon. We could see both Blaylock and Jackson back versus South Carolina.
Fellow wideout George Pickens is rehabbing an ACL tear suffered in the spring, and LSU transfer Arik Gilbert is still not with the team due to personal reasons.
Tight end Darnell Washington and defensive back Tykee Smith are both out of their walking boots this week after undergoing foot surgeries a month ago. Smart said both have performed weighted running, indicating a return to the field sometime in the coming weeks.
Here’s an updated injury report for Saturday night:
Tate Ratledge done for the year.
Georgia will be without starting offensive lineman Tate Ratledge for the remainder of the 2021 season, per a Facebook post from the redshirt freshman’s mother.
Ratledge injured his foot very early in Saturday night’s win over Clemson and had to be taken to the locker room via cart after being helped to the sideline.
He will undergo surgery for a lisfranc ligament injury, per Marc Weiszer of OnlineAthens.com.
Ratledge, a 4-star recruit in the class of 2020 out of Darlington School in Rome, Georgia, was making his first career start and playing in his second career game.
“Thank you to everyone for the thoughts and prayers! I’ll be back! #GoDawgs Romans 5:3-5,” the 6-foot-6, 320-pound Ratledge tweeted.
Junior Warren Ericson checked in to fill in for Ratledge.
Ratledge was later seen wearing a boot on the sideline.
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Smart spoke on Georgia football’s mounting injuries after UGA’s scrimmage on Saturday.
Georgia football has had a recent string of bad luck when it comes to injuries. Multiple key players have gone down with different issues during fall camp. And with just 12 days until the top-5 clash with Clemson, the Bulldogs are hoping for speedy recoveries.
Here’s an updated look at UGA’s injury report:
Smith and Washington both underwent surgeries to repair foot injuries last week. The time table is reportedly three to four weeks, however, coach Smart says the guys are day-to-day.
Ericson has returned to practice in a limited role and is expected to go versus Clemson.
Walker has been a limited participant in both of Georgia’s fall scrimmages but is expected to be available in Charlotte.
Fitzpatrick has missed both scrimmages but has been able to condition and is expected to be available versus the Tigers.
Blaylock has been participating in non-contact drills but has yet to be fully cleared for practice or gameplay.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart spoke on the team’s injuries and the status of Blaylock, Gilbert and Fitzpatrick after Georgia’s scrimmage on Saturday.
“We don’t have an injury where there are guys out for a long amount of time,” Smart said. “We are hopeful to get all of those guys back. I mean every one of them is day-to-day. Each one is a different situation but I expect to be full tilt when Clemson comes. We had more guys healthy today than we had last scrimmage and we are in good position.”
Smart is optimistic about the team’s health in spite of a long list of banged-up Dawgs, which should give UGA fans a bit of relief. Still, Georgia will want every one of its contributors ready to go for one of the biggest games of the college football season.
Check back to UGA Wire next week to get the official injury report for week 1.
“UGA Football Live with J.C. Shelton” is back! In the podcast’s 2021 kickoff episode, J.C. is joined by former Georgia football greats Tavarres King, Kieth Marshall and Armarlo Herrera to talk about their time in Athens, the 2021 Bulldogs and Georgia vs. Clemson! Listen here:
Two key Dawgs underwent surgery today.
This is not the news Georgia fans want to hear. Multiple key Bulldogs have gone down with injuries just over two weeks until the Dawgs’ season-opening matchup versus No. 3 Clemson.
Here is the list of players that we know are recovering from injuries right now:
Sophomore phenom tight end Darnell Washington and star West Virginia transfer Tykee Smith went down with foot injuries in practice this week. DawgNation and The Athletic reported today that both underwent surgeries on Thursday and the time table for a return is really just a guess right now but will likely be at least three weeks.
Kirby released a statement on Wednesday regarding the two stars,
“Darnell Washington and Tykee Smith sustained foot injuries during practice this week,” Smart said. “They are both undergoing treatment and have an excellent prognosis. Their status is day to day.”
247Sports reported the return could be three to four weeks
UGA sources: Darnell Washington & Tykee Smith are each expected to miss 3-4 weeks minimum with foot injuries sustained in practice yesterday.
Unlikely to be available vs Clemson.
— Josh Pate (@LateKickJosh) August 18, 2021
We still don’t know when LSU transfer Arik Gilbert will be back with the team. He’s been away from the program for the last couple of weeks due to personal reasons. His addition into the lineup could be huge for the Bulldogs offense if Washington and junior John Fitzpatrick aren’t able to go.
A positive note at tight end is freshman Brock Bowers, who’s reportedly been very impressive at camp so far.
A couple of guys who are not listed here but have been working their way back from injuries suffered earlier in fall camp are slot receiver Jermaine Burton and the leading pass catcher from a year ago, Kearis Jackson. Both have been nursing lower body injuries but are around 90% back and should be able to go for Clemson.
UGA fans have every right to be nervous about the injury bug hitting so soon, but remember the talent that this Georgia offense has on the outside even with guys missing.
Freshmen Arian Smith, Adonia Micthell and Justin Robinson have all turned heads at camp. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken mentioned Mitchell and Smith in a post-practice presser last week.
“Arian Smith has a unique skill set; he can really run and is developing other aspects of his game,” Monken said. “He’s really quick and twitchy, and not really someone who is a straight-line track guy, but there are days that he flashes…but there’s also Adonai Mitchell, who we think is going to be a tremendous player here.”
Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte was injured in a traffic collision in Athens, Georgia on Saturday night. He is okay.
Georgia Bulldogs safety Richard LeCounte was injured in a traffic collision in Athens, Georgia on Saturday night. LeCounte was involved in the accident following Georgia’s 14-3 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats.
Thankfully, LeCounte is okay, which is what really matters following a scary accident. He’ll recover and he doesn’t need surgery. Looking in the immediate future, LeCounte will likely be out against the Florida Gators, but it is more important that he survived the traffic accident.
Richard LeCounte is the leader of the Georgia Bulldog defense and will be missed. He reportedly suffered bruised ribs, a concussion, and a shoulder injury in the multi-vehicle accident, per ESPN. Fortunately, he has no broken bones. LeCounte was admitted to the hospital following the accident.
LeCounte’s injury adds to Georgia’s mounting unfortunate luck. Safety Lewis Cine hurt his ankle and did not return against the Kentucky Wildcats. Cine may be able to return next week, but it is possible the UGA will be without their two top safeties against Kyle Trask and Florida.
Heal up soon Richard LeCounte!
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