Kirby Smart offers update on availability of Jalen Carter, AD Mitchell against Florida

Georgia coach Kirby Smart spoke with reporters after Tuesday’s practice, where he offered injury updates on defensive tackle Jalen Carter and receiver AD Mitchell. Unfortunately for Bulldogs fans, those updates didn’t provide any positive news as they prepare to face Florida on Saturday.

“(Carter and Mitchell) have done things sparingly,” Smart said. “They’ve done a little bit, but they don’t feel great about ’em. Jalen’s probably looked better than AD, but I don’t know at this point if either one of them will be able to play.”

Carter has been dealing with a sprained knee that caused him to miss each of the past two games, while Mitchell has appeared in only three games this season as he nurses high ankle sprain. He saw his first action since Week 2 against Auburn on Oct. 8, but did not record a catch and again sat out the following week.

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Mitchell had 29 catches for 426 yards and four touchdowns last season, and recorded four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown in a Week 1 win against Oregon this season. Carter has just five tackles in as many games this season as he has been limited due to various injuries.

Before he suffered the sprained knee, Carter also tweaked his ankle in the season opener and played roughly 30 snaps in Georgia’s next three games. Just when he appeared to be healing from that, he suffered the knee injury in Week 5.

Most consider Carter as Georgia’s most talented defender. A former five-star recruit, he ranked as the No. 4 defensive lineman in the 2020 class according to On3 Consensus. He has been widely projected as a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft with quite a few analysts putting him inside the top 10 or even top five.

The annual showdown between Georgia and Florida in Jacksonville is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The game will be televised by CBS as the SEC Game of The Week.