Georgia running back depth not a concern despite numbers on G-Day

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia’s running back situation on Saturday was far from ideal, but the Bulldogs made the most of it. Kendall Milton suffered a hamstring injury early in spring practice that sidelined him the last three weeks. Andrew Paul was limited all the way through as he continues to progress back to playing speed from an ACL injury last fall, and in its final practice prior to G-Day, the Bulldogs saw Branson Robinson suffer an injury that forced him into a boot on Saturday instead of being in pads for the scrimmage.

While Kirby Smart obviously would have liked to see those three on the field instead of the sidelines, he’s not concerned about the position group going forward.

“No, we have good backs,” Smart said when asked about the position after the game. “Andrew Paul had a really good fall camp. We feel really good about him coming back healthy, and it’s going to be like his freshman year because he really didn’t get that so he’ll be behind. Branson, whenever we’re able to get him back, man, he had a great spring. He got the workload. We’ve got two backs with a lot of experience in Daijun (Edwards) and Kendall, who’ve played and done a good job. So I’m excited about those guys.”

“Cash (Jones) has done a great job. Roderick Robinson had a good day today,” he continued about the two that got the majority of touches with Edwards only getting five touches (three carries / two catches). “He’s (Robinson) a different kind of back, but he catches the ball coming out of the backfield. He’s big and physical. Guys don’t like tackling him. So we have a good group of backs. I feel really confident about the group we have.”

Robinson led all ball carriers with 11 attempts, also adding three receptions, while Jones added a combined eight touches on four carries and four catches. Those two have interesting stories as far as how they arrived at Georgia.

In the case of Robinson, the San Diego, Calif. native flipped his commitment from UCLA to Georgia in the fall after visiting Athens for the Auburn game. Robinson rushed for 2,378 yards and 37 touchdowns on 217 carries, also adding a pair of receiving scores and 128 yards on 12 receptions, on his way to winning California Player of the Year. He helped lead his Lincoln High School Hornets to their first state championship, taking down California powerhouse De La Salle as he scored four touchdowns in a 33-28 win.

RELATED: Roderick Robinson already exciting teammates in first spring

As for Jones, he’s probably got the more interesting of the two stories. Originally committed to go to New Mexico State, Georgia got him to come on board as a walk-on in 2021 out of Brock, Texas. He played in one game that season before making the travel roster the majority of the time for the Bulldogs in 2022, playing as a reserve running back and on special teams in 11 of 15 games. Jones totaled 44 yards on two carries in 2022 including a 36-yard touchdown versus Vanderbilt.

“Dell McGee did that, did a great job. Dell recruited him, talked to him, met him, felt like he was a good player,” Smart said, recalling the recruitment of Jones as a walk-on. “He can run, he was fast. He wanted to come to Georgia, which is unique. He didn’t shy away from competition. He’s been in that room with some really good backs. Cash has gotten better and better and better. The guy catches the ball out of the backfield really well.”

Smart wasn’t sure of the timeline on a return for Branson Robinson. Sources tell DawgsHQ that the injury is not too serious, and he should be back by fall camp. Meanwhile, Kendall Milton and Andrew Paul were both dressed out and went through warm ups before sticking to the sideline during the game, a good sign for their continued progress back towards being on the field.

It wasn’t what anybody, including Smart himself, would have wanted on Saturday with the Dawgs’ depth at the position a big question, but with what Georgia has coming back, running back is not a concern. However, if the right option emerged in the transfer portal, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if the Bulldogs were to jump on another option at running back.