Tag: smael mondon

Kirby Smart provides Georgia injury updates

Georgia football injury updates as the Bulldogs look to heal up ahead of the Florida game

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart provided injury updates following Georgia’s big road win over the Texas Longhorns. Georgia is currently in its bye week. The Bulldogs are looking to heal up ahead of the Nov. 2 game against the Florida Gators.

“We’re hoping to get (linebacker) Smael (Mondon) back,” said Smart. “Can’t wait to get him back. Hopefully it’ll be soon. He’s out there with us right now. And don’t know when it’ll be.”

Mondon has been out with a foot injury, but it does not sound like he will miss an extended period of time. However, he was ruled out early in the week against Texas, so it would be a bit of a surprise if he can go against Florida.

Georgia offensive guard Tate Ratledge suited up for the Texas game, but he was only available in an emergency capacity. Ratledge has been out since the Kentucky game with an ankle injury.

“I’ve seen a lot of hard work. He (Tate Ratledge) could be one of the toughest players I’ve ever been around,” said Smart. “He had a very significant tightrope injury, to the point it was more significant than Brock’s (Bowers), and he is fighting his way back. He wasn’t ready to play, but he was an emergency guy that could have gone in the game if we needed him to. We’re hopeful he keeps getting better.”

The Florida game has always represented a realistic recovery timeline for Ratledge, but every injury is different and unique. Ratledge is a name to watch when Georgia releases its SEC injury report on Wednesday, Oct. 30 before the Florida game.

Georgia running backs Branson Robinson (knee) and Roderick Robinson (toe) both remain out. Defensive lineman Joseph Jonah-Ajonye missed the Texas game with an unknown injury.

Georgia is expected to be without defensive backs Dan Jackson and Joenel Aguero for the first half of the Florida game. Both Jackson and Aguero were ejected in the second half against Texas due to targeting and as a result face suspensions for the first half against Florida.

Four Georgia players out in latest injury report ahead of Auburn

Georgia football will be without four players against Auburn. The Dawgs have four more players listed as questionable.

The Georgia Bulldogs will be without four players against the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 5.

Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon is the most notable name on the Bulldogs’ injury report. Mondon is out for unknown reasons against Auburn after playing in Georgia’s loss to Alabama. At linebacker, Georgia will lean on CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson more with Mondon out.

Georgia wide receiver London Humphreys remains out with mono. Offensive lineman Tate Ratledge is out after undergoing ankle surgery and running back Roderick Robinson is still recovering from toe surgery.

Georgia offensive lineman Jared Wilson also appeared as questionable on the injury report. Wilson was shaken up against Alabama, but returned.

Defensive lineman Mykel Williams is questionable (ankle). Williams played against Alabama, but did not look 100%. Georgia wide receiver Sacovie White is questionable and defensive tackle Jordan Hall is also questionable as he is recovering from a stress fracture.

Overall, Georgia is not to banged up. Georgia defensive lineman Warren Brinson appears to be healthy. He returned for the Alabama game after missing several weeks.

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Auburn with be without defensive back Tyler Scott, defensive back Champ Anthony and tight end Brandon Frazier.

Georgia LB named as ‘player to watch’ in the 2025 NFL draft

UGA football has a top-five linebacker in the 2025 NFL draft and another linebacker that has been named as a “player to watch”

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Smael Mondon has been named as a player to watch in the 2025 NFL draft. ESPN NFL draft experts Matt Miller and Jordan Reid both rank Mondon outside their top-five linebackers.

However, Miller considers (subscription required) Mondon to be a player ranked outside the top five to watch.

“We were discussing Mondon as a top-100 prospect this time last year, but he returned to school and should be one of the nation’s best linebackers,” said Miller. Mondon battled through a foot injury during the 2023 college football season and missed spring practice, but could really help his NFL draft stock with a healthy 2024 season.

“At 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, Mondon has excellent size and length, allowing him to be a three-down difference-maker who registered 42 tackles and three sacks last season,” continued Miller. “Improvement in pass coverage could make Mondon a top-five linebacker.”

Interestingly, Miller has Georgia’s Jalon Walker as his third-ranked linebacker in the 2025 draft class. Walker does not start for Georgia, but led the Bulldogs in sacks during the 2023 season. Walker could also project as an edge prospect at the next level.

ESPN has Georgia quarterback Carson Beck as the No. 1 pick in their recent 2025 NFL mock draft.

Georgia LB will return for senior season

Georgia LB will return for senior season

Georgia football received some much needed good news on Friday. Junior linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. will return for his senior season, passing on a chance to enter the 2024 NFL draft, per On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos.

Mondon, a second-team All-SEC selection in 2023, was graded as a first-round pick by multiple draft analysts. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Mondon rated as a top-five prospect at his position.

Mondon’s return is a big boost to a UGA linebacker room that has undergone major turnover since the SEC Championship loss to Alabama.

Preseason All-American selection Jamon Dumas-Johnson unexpectedly entered the transfer portal on Thursday, joining fellow linebackers Xavian Sorey Jr. and E.J. Lightsey.

Mondon’s return, paired with the late-season surge by freshmen C.J. Allen and Raylen Wilson, puts UGA’s inside linebacker room in a good spot ahead of the 2024 season.

 

 

 

 

 

Georgia’s Smael Mondon, Branson Robinson will be limited in fall camp

Kirby Smart gives injury updates at SEC Media Days

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart says Bulldogs linebacker Smael Mondon and running back Branson Robinson will be limited during fall camp due to injury.

“No, they won’t be full go,” Smart said on Tuesday at SEC Media Days. “I don’t know how long it will be, but they will not be full go on practice one. They’ll be able to run what we call dry landing running the next stage.”

Mondon finished as the team’s leading leading tackler last season despite missing two games due to injury. Robinson exceeded expectations in 2022 as a freshman when Kendall Milton went down with injury.

Smart said that both players dealt with their undisclosed injuries during spring practice and their recoveries may be ahead of schedule.

“They both had injuries in spring practice,” Smart said. Actually, if anything, they’ve done well. They’ve progressed well and probably moved up the timeline if anything, but we can’t judge until we get out there with them and put pads on.”

Georgia will open the 2023 season on Sept. 2 versus the University of Tennessee at Martin. Smart did not confirm if Mondon and Robinson will be ready for Week 1.

“Again, I don’t know,” Smart said. “I think that was the outlook a while back. I don’t know if that’s the outlook now.”

 

Georgia’s Smael Mondon talks freshmen LBs: ‘Everything you want in a linebacker’

Georgia has serious depth at ILB…

Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon is part of a talented group of inside linebackers in Athens.

The former five-star prospect helped revamp a defense that lost three players at the position to last year’s NFL draft, and finished first on the team in total tackles (76) in the 2022 national championship season as a first-year starter.

Mondon, a rising junior, recently spoke about the inside linebacker group highlighting some talented freshmen.

“Raylen and CJ — really all the freshmen, really — they’re all just like a really athletic group. They’re hard workers, strong, fast — really everything you want in a linebacker.”

Freshmen Raylen Wilson and C.J. Allen are among the top players signed to Georgia’s 2023 recruiting class, which finished second in the nation behind Alabama.

Wilson was rated as the No. 3 linebacker and Allen came in at No. 5, according to 247Sports.

Mondon noted the consistency of talent at the position since he joined the Bulldogs as a member of the 2021 recruiting class.

“Even when I first came in here, I feel like the linebacker room has always really been athletic with Quay, Channing and a lot of them guys that were here when I first got here versus now with me, Pop, Raylen, Sorey, all of them. I feel like we’ve always had an athletic linebacker room.”

Mondon enters his second season as a starter along side Jamon Dumas-Johnson, with Rian Davis, Xavian Sorey and EJ Lightsey as reserves.

Wilson, Allen and fellow freshman Troy Bowles, the No. 6 linebacker in the 2023 class, provide plenty of depth for the Bulldogs headed into the 2023 season.

You can catch the Dawgs in action during the annual ‘G-Day’ spring game scheduled for April 15 in Sanford Stadium.

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Georgia Bulldogs spring practice injury report

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.

Georgia football player card: LB Smael Mondon Jr.

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. enrolled early in Athens and participated in spring practice.

Smael Mondon Jr., Linebacker (No. 2):

Class: Freshman

Height: 6-3

Weight: 220 pounds

Hometown: Dallas, Georgia

High School: Paulding County High School

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. enrolled early in Athens and participated in spring practice. The Paulding County product recorded five tackles in the G-Day spring game. Mondon Jr. comes to the University of Georgia as a decorated five-star recruit.

Mondon Jr. has good size, length, and speed. He is a tackling machine and could earn significant playing time as a freshman. He was all over the field during his days at Paulding County, where Mondon Jr. played wide receiver and running back in addition to linebacker.

Mondon Jr. projects to be a depth piece on Dan Lanning’s defense and a special teams player. Lanning’s defense rotates a high number of defenders every season, so there will be opportunity for Mondon Jr.; Georgia has a loaded linebackers room again.

The five-star recruit will compete with returning inside linebackers Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, Trezmen Marshall, Rian Davis and Channing Tindall for playing time at the inside linebacker position.

The lengthy linebacker has some excellent high school football highlights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hppb7dWT5uM

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Four 2021 UGA recruits end ranked as 5-stars

The Georgia Bulldogs have the No. 3 recruiting class in the country featuring four five-star recruits.

The Georgia Bulldogs have the No. 3 recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports. Georgia’s class of 2021 is a special group that features four five-star recruits: Amarius Mims, Smael Mondon, Nyland Green and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins.

It touts the 14th-ranked recruit, massive offensive tackle Amarius Mims. Mims is an in-state recruit who played at Bleckley County High School. He has the talent to start right away, but Georgia is returning a lot of offensive line talent under Matt Luke.

Nyland Green, one of Georgia’s most recent additions to the class of 2021, finished the year rated as the No. 18 prospect in the country. Green will have a chance to play immediately because Georgia lost several cornerbacks this offseason.

Defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is the top player from the state of South Carolina. The five-star recruit check in as the No. 19 player in the nation and the No. 2 defensive tackle. He dominated at Gaffney High School.

Lastly, five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon is ranked as the No. 20 recruit in the country. Mondon is fast and versatile. The in-state prospect joins a loaded Georgia Bulldogs linebacker core.

Georgia quarterback signee Brock Vandagriff notably missed out on five-star status. He finishes the year rated as the No. 33 prospect and the top ranked four-star recruit. Most other services have Vandagriff ranked as a five-star, so this will give him motivation.

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5-star LB Smael Mondon signs with Georgia football

Five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. out of Paulding County High School has signed with the University of Georgia Bulldogs.

Five-star outside linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. has signed with the University of Georgia football program. Mondon Jr. picked the Georgia Bulldogs over several SEC foes including LSU, Auburn, Tennessee and Florida.

The Paulding County High School linebacker plays football in Dallas, Georgia. Mondon ranks as the nation’s No. 29 overall player, the No. 2 outside linebacker and the No. 3 player in the state of Georgia, per 247Sports.

Kirby Smart and Georgia are securing the state’s top talent this year. The Dawgs have signed three out of four total in-state five-star recruits.

At six-foot-three and 220 pounds, Mondon will be a versatile linebacker in college football. He also plays running back in high school.

In addition to football, Mondon competed in the 100 meters, 200, long jump and triple jump for the Paulding County track team last year. He has solid speed, which is key for linebackers in modern college football. Sideline to sideline speed will help him cover running backs in the passing game, an immediate need for the Georgia Bulldog defense.

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Mondon, Xavian Sorey, and more will look to replace Monty Rice and several more linebackers on Georgia’s defense. Georgia offered Mondon back in 2019. This November, Mondon announced his commitment to the University of Georgia at his high school.

Now, the official Georgia Bulldogs Twitter account has announced his signing. Congratulations to Smael Mondon:

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