Saturdays in the fall are almost back. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart addressed the media on Thursday as the Bulldogs entered the opening day of fall camp. Georgia is under a month away from its season opener against the Clemson Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Aug. 31.
Georgia hasn’t suffered any season-ending injuries yet, but the Dawgs’ aren’t the healthiest team in the land entering fall camp. Thankfully, no one is projected to be out for an extended time. The Bulldogs are missing a lot of critical bodies in the trenches on defense; this will be something to watch as camp progresses.
What injury updates did Kirby Smart provide at the beginning of fall camp? We'll analyze how the injuries and roster moves impact the Georgia football team.
Kirby Smart mentioned that wide receiver Rara Thomas has been removed from the program following the aftermath of his recent arrest. “Rara, you know, had a chance to sit down and meet with him face to face Tuesday,” said Smart. “Which I think was really important, and let him know that he can no longer be a part of the football team, and he understands that, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Smart said that defensive tackle Jordan Hall underwent surgery on a tibia stress fracture and will "hopefully" return for the season opener.
Hall was a marquee five-star defensive tackle addition in Georgia's 2023 recruiting class. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound lineman played in 10 games as a true freshman.
Smart noted that inside linebacker Smael Mondon (foot) is "almost back" yet is not a full participant.
Mondon struggled with a foot injury during the 2023 season, yet he played through it before opting out of the Orange Bowl vs Florida State to fully recover for 2024.
Defensive end Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (foot) is not entirely back to form but is close; cornerback Chris Peal (labrum repair) will be limited.
Ingram-Dawkins also had a foot injury last fall; he played eight games in 2023. Following the season's end, he had surgery and missed spring practice.
Peal dealt with turf toe throughout fall camp in 2023. He saw his first game action in the Orange Bowl and ended the game with a tackle.
Offensive tackle Marcus Harrison (foot) and defensive tackle Warren Brinson (Achilles Tendon) will be "in and out" as Georgia enters camp.
Harrison is a three-star true freshman from Hamburg, New York.
Brinson started three games for the Bulldogs in 2023 and was a regular contributor in the trenches, tallying 21 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks.
Wide receiver Cole Speer (foot) should be involved but will not be a full participant entering practice.
Speer is entering his junior season at Georgia as an ace special teams player. He played in eight games in 2023 and ended the season with a single catch for seven yards.
Georgia fans will be happy to hear Smart's update on runningback Branson Robinson (torn patellar tendon), who will begin practice without any limitations, yet they plan to manage his load.
"It's not a shock to me that he's able to start and go without limitations, but the load management's critical because you can't take some that haven't done everything and just throw them into everything, so we have to be smart about that, but it's certainly promising," Smart said. "You know, I thought going into - I forget what practice he got injured last year - but he was having a really good camp. He looked really good. I thought 'Golly, this guy was about to have a great season, great camp,' and then he has to go back.
Robinson tore his patellar tendon during fall camp last season and missed the entirety of the 2023 season. That December, the running backs coach at the time, Coach McGee, provided an update, saying that "he is doing everything medically and from a rehab standpoint to make himself the best version of himself."
Robinson played in 12 games as a true freshman during the 2022 season and ended the year with 68 carries for 330 yards and three touchdowns, including a seven-carry for 42 yards and two touchdown performance in Georgia's blowout victory over TCU in the National Championship game.
Georgia enters fall camp thin along the defensive line, with injuries to Jordan Hall, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Warren Brinson. Brinson projects more likely to play in the season opener vs. Clemson than Jordan Hall. Bulldogs faithful would expect outside linebacker Mykel Williams to begin getting more snaps on the line's interior to balance depth. Georgia has a gold mine of talent and depth at inside linebacker, so there's no pressure to rush Smael Mondon back in fall camp.