Kirby Smart assesses the play of Kendall Milton through first two games

The Georgia Bulldogs’ run game on Saturday had a trio of running backs get seven or more carries but leading the way was third-year back Kendall Milton. Milton posted 10 carries for 85 yards, bringing his total on the season up to 18 and 135 yards with one rushing touchdown. He’s also added two catches for 25 yards and a score in the receiving game.

Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart commended Milton for doing all the right things at his press conference on Monday.

“Kendall’s done a great job,” Smart said. “He did what he did in the spring, running the ball with toughness, he’s very smart in terms up pickups and he’s improved as a receiver in the backfield. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do at this point. Hard to tackle and physical.”

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Milton was the third leading rusher last year, getting 56 touches for 264 yards and a touchdown. He’s well on pace to running for a single-season career-high this year, even while splitting reps with Kenny McIntosh and Daijun Edwards. He entered the season coming off of a hamstring injury that hampered him in fall camp.

Hailing from the 2020 signing class, Milton was a top-50 prospect coming out of California. He was No. 49 overall in the nation and the No. 7-ranked running back in the class, according to the On3 Consensus.

The 6-foot-2 back could have a good enough year to enter the 2023 NFL Draft but for higher draft stock, he could benefit from two 500+ yard seasons on tape before going in 2024.

Smart updates status of AD Mitchell, William Poole

On Monday after Georgia’s takedown of Samford, Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart updated the status of two players the team missed on Saturday. Smart shared that cornerback William Poole wasn’t “in the lineup” on Saturday but didn’t mention an injury evaluation.

As for wide receiver AD Mitchell, who exited the game after one play, the Bulldogs are being cautious with him to start the week.

“Definitely, AD, we’re not going to practice (him) today,” Smart said. “We’re hopeful that he’s able to make it, Ron’s optimistic. We’ll see on Poole. Right now, he just wasn’t in the lineup to play.”

After Saturday’s game, Smart said that Mitchell could have probably gone back into the game. Therefore, his update on Monday is not a positive one.

In Week One, Mitchell caught four passes for 65 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs’ 49-3 season-opening win against Oregon.