Kirby Smart sends message to recently injured high school wrestler

After a tragic injury where a high school wrestler suffered a spinal cord injury, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart shared a touching message for the athlete. Livingston Bridger is a 16-year old wrestler from South Carolina that grew up in household full of Gamecock fans, but his favorite team is the Georgia Bulldogs. When Smart heard about the situation, he felt the need to share an uplifting message with the young fan.

Kirby Smart’s message to injured wrestler

“Hey Livingston, it’s Coach Smart from Georgia,” began Smart in a video message for Livingston’s family. “Just thinking about you — got some swag for you here. All the Dawgs back in Athens are pulling for you. Keep fighting — and looking forward to hopefully getting a chance to meet you sometime. Best wishes, and pull us through on December 31st in Miami. Go Dawgs.”

Bridger’s injury fractured his spinal cord and left him without any feeling in his extremities. Doctors were able to perform surgery to fuse the fracture and relieve pressure from his spinal cord. Following his surgery, Bridger regained some use of his arms but still not his legs.

His mother reached out to a family friend, Mary Delp, who is the mother of 2022 UGA pledge Oscar Delp. During a recruiting visit to Oscar Delp, his mother explained the situation Livingston was going through to Smart.

After hearing about his struggles and that he was a Georgia fan, Smart made the video for Bridger and signed some Georgia gear to be given to the young athlete. Bridger’s mother shared the video on Instagram, thanking Smart for his message and praising the program although she has been a lifelong fan of South Carolina.

Dan Lanning departs from Georgia

Kirby Smart is losing arguably his top coordinator to the Pac-12. The Bulldogs defensive coordinator Dan Lanning will be leaving Athens to take over the head coaching position at the Oregon.

In a statement released by Smart, the Georgia head coach showed his appreciation for the longtime member of his coaching staff.

“We are so happy for Dan and his family. He and Sauphia have been an important part of our Bulldog family for the last four years, and we thank them for all they did for Georgia football and the Athens community. Opportunities like this are a testament to a successful program. While he will coach with us for the upcoming College Football Playoff, he will move forward with Glenn Schumann and Will Muschamp as Co-defensive coordinators. Dan and I are both looking forward to preparing for the CFP,” said Smart.

As stated by Smart, Lanning will remain with the Bulldogs throughout the College Football Playoff. But he will do so with Schumann and Muschamp as co-coordinators.

On3’s Justin Rudolph contributed to this article.