Georgia 'optimistic' AD Mitchell will be available vs. South Carolina
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia lost sophomore wide receiver AD Mitchell early in the Samford game with an ankle injury and after offering a positive report afterward, Kirby Smart didn’t sound as sure on Monday. The seventh-year head coach said that Mitchell would “definitely” be out for Monday’s practice.
He also suggested that the UGA medical staff feels good about Mitchell’s availability for the SEC opener vs. South Carolina.
“Ron is optimistic,” Smart said. “But you know how that goes.”
There was a different tone to Smart’s Monday comments. After Saturday’s game, Smart said that Mitchell could have probably gone back into the game but the staff decided to hold him out.
Mitchell exited the game after UGA’s first play from scrimmage. He caught a quick screen and was gang tackled after a four-yard gain. The sophomore wideout got up and made his way to the Georgia sideline with a significant limp and immediately went into the injury tent.
Once AD Mitchell emerged from the injury tent, he was taken into the locker room. He did not return to the sideline for the rest of the game as 15 different players caught a pass.
It’s tough to know whether or not his injury was the cause, but the Bulldogs looked quite sloppy against Samford the rest of the way. Stetson Bennett IV missed a couple of touchdown opportunities on the first two drives and the Bulldogs settled for four field goals inside the 10-yard line on the day.
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The start against Samford was Mitchell’s second in as many games this season. He caught four passes for 65 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs 49-3 season-opening win against Oregon. Mitchell was also one of the heroes from UGA’s National Championship victory over Alabama, catching a 40-yard go-ahead touchdown with just over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Mitchell earned the opportunity to make a big catch in a big game with a strong freshman season. He caught 29 passes for 426 yards and four touchdowns in his first season of college ball. After enrolling at UGA in January of 2021, AD Mitchell created all sorts of buzz during spring drills and preseason camp.
An ACL injury to George Pickens during spring ball thrust Mitchell into a position the role of a heavy contributor. Once the Bulldogs experienced a myriad injuries at wideout during the season, Mitchell took on an even bigger role.
Mitchell was viewed as a three-star prospect coming out of high school. He was originally a 2020 prospect but graduated and trained for a year before signing with the program of his choice. Ole Miss was the first team to grab Mitchell’s commitment but he flipped to Georgia early in the process and never wavered, at least publicly.
