May 4, 2024
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Top-ranked Georgia will be without starting right tackle Amarius Mims indefinitely as Kirby Smart says the Bulldogs carry the longest injury list in his eight years as coach.
Smart said Monday that Mims will have surgery for a left ankle sprain suffered in last week's 24-14 win over South Carolina. Mims is expected to miss at least a few weeks, including Saturday's game against UAB.
“He'll be back,” Smart said. “It's just a matter of how long.”
The two-time defending national champion Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) also had running backs Kendall Milton (knee) and Roderick Robinson (high ankle sprain) suffer injuries against South Carolina.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Ladd McConkey is expected to miss his fourth consecutive game with a back injury.
“You very rarely hear me talk about our guys being injured or, you know, woe is me,” Smart said. “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 (college football).”
The loss of Mims, a junior, could be the most difficult for Georgia to overcome as it prepares to begin a long stretch of SEC games next week at Auburn. The ability of Xavier Truss to move from left guard to tackle gives Smart and his staff more options.
Smart said decisions on a new starting line will depend on the health of other linemen, including Austin Blaske.
“Where do we get the best five from?” Smart asked. “So a lot of that will play itself out over the next three or four days. But I do think Truss gives us that flexibility, and he did a nice job on the run the other day to be able to go do that.”
Smart said Ron Courson, the team's longtime head trainer, “informed me that we have the longest injury list we’ve ever had since being here. ... We've got to do a good job overcoming that, and we've got to be very resourceful as coaches in how we use the players we do have."
