Georgia taking it 'day by day' with AD Mitchell injury
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia has been without sophomore wideout AD Mitchell for a long time. The Bulldogs have played 10 games this season and it has gotten almost nothing from Mitchell in nine of those games. He suffered a high-ankle sprain on the first play from scrimmage against Samford and it has been crickets since.
High-ankle sprains are dreaded for a reason. They’re stubborn and painful and, most of all, unpredictable. The Bulldogs didn’t expect to be without AD Mitchell, a hero in the National Championship game over Alabama after catching the go-ahead 40-yard touchdown, for this long.
They’ve been able to clear every hurdle on the field, but they’d love, at some point in the very near future, to start clearing some hurdles with AD Mitchell in the mix. His presence makes the Georgia offensive better.
There’s good news in that regard. AD Mitchell is making progress. DawgsHQ reported it last week and Kirby Smart confirmed it on Monday.
“It’s been frustrating for him,” Smart said at Georgia vs. Kentucky media day. “He wants to get back. He works really hard at it. He was better last week than he’s been every week previous. He actually got to do individual drills last week and did some things. But he’s still not, or at least last week, I don’t know where he is this week because I haven’t seen him yet, but he was not where he could come out of breaks and do the things required to play receiver, and that’s tough. So he stayed here. He got extra rehab here, felt like he got a little better rehab here not having to be on it all weekend and during the game. So we’re, again, hopeful to get him back this week, but it will be day by day.”
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Smart wouldn’t go as far as to say that AD Mitchell suffered a set back when he saw the field for a few plays against Auburn last month. He also didn’t shoot it down, saying that AD Mitchell feels like he might have re-injured himself some.
Smart also provided some insight as to why AD Mitchell didn’t have the “tightrope” surgery that other players get with a high-ankle sprain. According to the seventh-year head coach, it wasn’t even an option due to the nature of the injury.
Either way, the offense would do well to get a bonafide X-receiver back in the offense. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint has filled in quite well but doesn’t have the same suddenness or burst as AD Mitchell. The Bulldogs have also gotten contributions from Dillon Bell and De’Nylon Morrissette with Mitchell out. Those players have filled in admirably but they don’t have AD Mitchell’s big-game experience and play-making ability.
In Mitchell’s one full game of action this season, he hauled in four passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. That was in the season-opening blowout of Oregon. As a true freshman in 2021, AD Mitchell hauled in 29 passes for 426 yards and four touchdowns.
