Kirby Smart addresses the status of RT Amarius Mims, LB Damon Wilson for Orange Bowl vs. FSU

Opt-outs and questionable statuses have been the story ahead of the Orange Bowl between No. 6 Georgia and No. 5 Florida State so far. Now, to end the week, Kirby Smart has shared the latest on two players who could be in the lineup for the Bulldogs.

Smart addressed the availability of both Amarius Mims and Damon Wilson during the coaches press conference in Miami on Friday. He said both players are with Georgia with Mims set to be with the team today while Wilson won’t be practicing or playing following a procedure.

“Yeah, Damon had a scope done and he’s with us. He’s out there but he’s not practicing,” said Smart. “Amarius is here and he’ll be with us today.”

Mims started to see consistent starts on the offensive line during this as his junior year. While he has been dealing with injuries on and off this season, he appeared in seven games with six starts. That’s been enough to garner him some attention ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft. However, his status for the postseason went up in the air after he reaggravated the ankle injury against Alabama in the SEC Championship.

As for Wilson, he has appeared in a dozen games this season as a freshman this season. In total, he got two tackles and half of a sack.

Again, several players on both sidelines appear to be out for this one for various reasons. It looks like Georgia could be getting at least one significant addition, though, with Smart’s update on Mims being a positive one.

Smart clarifies status of Daniel Harris after portal announcement

Georgia CB Daniel Harris shared that he’d be heading into the transfer portal and reports shared as much over the last week. However, according to Kirby Smart, that has yet to take place to this point.

Smart spoke about Harris’ portal decision during the coaches press conference at the Orange Bowl today. While he shared his decision to enter and reports have indicated that he’s doing so as well, Smart has explained that he has not gone in the portal to this point.

“Just because somebody posted he’s going in the portal doesn’t mean he is,” said Smart. “You have to go in the portal and he has not.”

Reports regarding Harris’ status in the portal came out around Christmas. He seemed to have joined a long list of Bulldogs who were also going to transfer this offseason.

However, it appears that those circumstances may not be the case according to Smart.

Harris played in five games for Georgia this season without recording any statistics.

Harris did so after arriving in Athens as a four-star recruit with their No. 2 class in 2023. He was the No. 163 overall recruit according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He finished as the No. 18 CB in the class as well as a Top-50 player out of Florida as a native of Miami.