Kirby Smart provides injury update on Kendall Milton
Georgia is just days away from their season opener against Oregon and the running back position could be described as thin. Injuries have derailed the room, with freshman Andrew Paul tearing his ACL. Kendall Milton, one of the more experienced backs, has been dealing with an injury as well. On Wednesday, head coach Kirby Smart provided an update.
Smart said Milton is back to going through full-speed reps after taking some time off. The injury was described as a “soft tissue injury” and something that’s hard to control. With Milton now back at full speed, Smart is excited to see what he can do in the Georgia offense.
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“He’s done a great job bouncing back from it,” Smart said via the SEC coach’s teleconference. “It was an unfortunate soft tissue injury. It’s hard to control and monitor. He had a few days there where he was not able to go full speed but he’s still able to do things. So much of our game plan is walkthroughs.
“He used to do those, he used to take the mental reps and the full-speed reps are what he missed a little bit of. He’s been able to get that for the last week or so. He’s hitting good numbers on the GPS, he’s in good shape, he’s very bright. So, I’m looking forward to him being a big part of things.”
Milton was held out of the last scrimmage, still working his way back to full strength. Now, during game week, the running back has been going through practice 100% and seems set on playing against Oregon.
Kendall Milton to be major contributor for Georgia
Running back has always been a position Georgia has excelled in under Smart, producing some of the best in the country. Last season’s national championship team featured two players who are now in the NFL and the next man’s up applies in Athens.
Milton was the third leading rusher last year, getting 56 touches for 264 yards and a touchdown. He is expected to be the main back alongside Kenny McIntosh as the Georgia offense transitions — at least in the running game.
To begin the season, Milton and the running back room will be going up against an old friend, Dan Lanning. Being the defensive coordinator in Athens last season, there will be a mini-reunion in Athens come Saturday afternoon.