Georgia plans to use 'special shoe' for star OL Amarius Mims in eventual return
ATHENS, Ga. — Projections for the 2024 NFL Draft believe that Georgia has yet another first-round offensive tackle on its hands. After starting just two games last year, Amarius Mims came into the year high most, if not all, draft analysts boards. The junior from Cochran, Ga. got three starts under his belt before suffering a high-ankle sprain that has kept him out for the past three and a half games.
The injury occurred in the second quarter of Georgia’s 24-14 win over South Carolina and Mims had tight rope surgery soon after, a procedure designed to help speed up the recovery process of that injury. Mims is now walking on his own without the help of a boot, brace, or crutches.
A six-week timeline has the 6-foot-7 330-pound lineman returning for the Florida game in a few weeks but Kirby Smart isn’t ready to go there just yet. Georgia isn’t working with a timeline according to its head coach, who says that Mims is on track and the program is working toward helping him get back on the field when he’s ready.
“The timeline, if we’re lucky, would put him around there (Florida game), but he may not be the exact same as Lawson (Luckie),” Smart said on Monday. “Lawson is a skill position that requires more cutting and things like that. We’ve ordered a special shoe for Amarius, and plan to use it. We used that with Andrew Thomas and several other kids on the offensive line that have had ankle injuries. But we don’t put a timeline on it just for that reason. It could be before. It could be after. It’s based on his progression of how he feels when he starts moving around and what he does.”
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The Bulldog offensive line had to do some shifting with Mims out. Georgia’s third tackle coming into the year, Austin Blaske, was also dealing with an injury when Mims went down and that forced starting right guard Xavier Truss over to right tackle. Dylan Fairchild has started the three games since at left guard with Micah Morris also seeing meaningful action.
As a prospect, Mims was the nation’s No. 10 offensive tackle in the 2021 class per the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average of the four recruiting services. He was the nation’s No. 3 offensive tackle and the top prospect in the Peach State.
