Kirby Smart provides injury update after second Bulldogs scrimmage

The injury bug has hit Georgia. The Bulldogs are currently missing a handful of players expected to be starters and major contributors this season, specifically in the passing game.

Kirby Smart was asked about the status of tight end John FitzPatrick and wide receivers Arik Gilbert and Dom Blaylock following Georgia’s scrimmage on Saturday. The Bulldogs open the season on Sept. 4 in Charlotte against Clemson in a top-five matchup.

“We’re hopeful to get all those guys back soon,” Smart said. “So, that’s the plan really on all the guys that are injured. We don’t have an injury that’s got us out for a long amount of time. We hope to get all those guys back. Every one of them is day-to-day and some of them you mentioned are practicing now. Each one of them is a different situation, but I expect to be full tilt when Clemson comes, when it comes time to play them.

“We had more guys healthy today than we did in the last scrimmage. We’re in a good position there.”

Breaking down key injuries

The loss of John FitzPatrick is significant. The a 6-foot-7, 250-pound junior was expected to take a larger role in the Georgia passing game, and the tight end room took another hit when the Bulldogs announced this week sophomore tight end Darnell Washington is expected to miss 3-4 weeks. FitzPatrick is a mismatch problem for defenses; he finished with 10 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown last season.

A former LSU player and Florida commit, Georgia landed Arik Gilbert through the transfer portal. Gilbert is currently not practicing and dealing with some personal issues at the moment. No details have been disclosed, but the sophomore’s potential role at wideout is unquestioned. In his lone season at LSU, he had 35 catches for 368 yards and two touchdowns.

And Dom Blaylock missed all of last season with a knee injury. But the 6-foot-1, 205-pound redshirt sophomore showed his potential as a freshman. In just five games he racked up 18 catches for 310 yards and five touchdowns.

Can Bulldogs finally put the pieces together?

In recent years, Georgia has had a top-notch defense. But they have struggled on the offensive side of the ball. This season, with quarterback JT Daniels under center, Georgia has a real chance to challenge for the national championship. 

Paul Finebaum recently spoke about Georgia’s chances of making the College Football Playoff. 

“Should Georgia win [against Clemson], and I think they will, they have a great opportunity to move up probably to number two,” Finebaum said. “I think there’s an outside shot of No. 1 if Alabama looks poor in its opener. To me, Georgia after that only has one really big game during the season and that’s Florida.

“They’ll probably have to deal with Alabama at the end of the year. That won’t be easy. But I like their chances.”