Georgia's Injury List the "Longest" It has Been in the Smart Era

On Monday, Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart revealed that Georgia's list of injured players has reached unprecedented levels during his tenure in Athens.

The ankle injury Georgia starting right tackle Amarius Mims suffered in the second quarter of Georgia's 24-14 victory over South Carolina was the latest in an extreme rash of early season injuries that the Bulldogs have had to overcome through the first three weeks of the season. The list of players missing time this season includes a litany of impact players including leading returning wide receiver Ladd McConkey who remains sidelines with a lingering back injury, starting running back Daijun Edwards who made his season debut against South Carolina, former five-star running back Branson Robinson, and preseason All-SEC safety Javon Bullard. 

Following an ankle injury he suffered during the South Carolina game, Georgia starting right tackle Amarius Mims is the latest major addition to Georgia's growing list of injured players

The situation has grown so dire that Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart addressed the team's ever-expanding injury list in the opening statement of his Monday press conference, revealing that the situation has reached an unprecedented level in his time as Georgia's head coach.

“Moving on to our team, Ron (Courson) informed me that we have the longest injury list we've ever had since being here. So continues to grow, and I think that's a trend across college football."

The physical nature of Georgia's practices has helped Smart instill a culture of toughness and competition within his program that he has long-credited as being one of the driving forces behind his program's ascent to the top of the college football landscape.  However, while that culture of physicality in practice has helped Georgia attain unprecedented levels of success in its program's history, it is also, naturally, accompanied by an increased risk of players sustaining injuries. Still, despite the risks, Smart suggested that his team will not alter its practice habits in any substantial way moving forward.

"You very rarely hear me talk about our guys being injured or, you know, woe is me. I don't think it's something that you can control. We practice how we practice, and for a couple years we've been really fortunate to not have very many injuries, and I always hear about other teams, and this year it seems to be the theme across."

Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart met with the media on Monday and revealed that Georgia has "the longest injury list" they have had in his tenure

Yet, despite the unprecedented run of injuries his team has had to contend with through the early portion of the 2023 season, Smart was quick to point out that his team is not alone in having to battle early-season injuries and that Georgia's players and coaching staff must show resiliency in rising above the adversity the team has been presented with.

"I know Shane [Beamer] had a lot at South Carolina. There was a lot of them in the SEC opponents, but we certainly have more than we've ever had. So that becomes a hurdle. We gotta do a good job overcoming that, and we gotta be very resourceful as coaches in how we use the players we do have."

Georgia will host UAB in Sanford Stadium on Saturday night at 7:30 PM before they embark on a stretch of seven SEC games in eight weeks leading up to the annual rivalry game with Georgia Tech to close out the regular season.