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Kirby Smart shares latest on Georgia's injury situation at end of spring

Palmber-Thombsby:Palmer Thombs•04/16/23•

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Branson Robinson
Georgia running back Branson Robinson (22) during Georgia’s practice session in Athens, Ga., on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia head coach Kirby Smart shared updates on a pair of players after the Bulldogs’ annual G-Day spring game. As first reported by DawgsHQ before the game, Branson Robinson and Smael Mondon both suffered injuries during practice on Thursday that kept them out of the action on Saturday. Robinson and Mondon both were wearing a walking boot on the sideline, on the right foot for Robinson and left for Mondon.

“When you go to Smael and Branson, they’re both dealing with lower extremity injuries,” Smart said. “The severity of that is still yet to really be determined. Both of those guys were unable to go today.”

Robinson is going into his second season at Georgia and expected to be a big part of the plan offensively in a backfield that also features Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards. Serving as a reserve running back last season, he saw action in 12 of 15 games, ran for 330 yards on 68 carries and found his way into the end zone three times, including twice in the National Championship Game. With Milton out since early spring and Edwards limited at times, each battling their own bumps and bruises, Robinson was reported to have had a strong spring prior to his unfortunate injury.

Meanwhile, Mondon, the team’s leading tackler last season, is looked at as one of the top linebackers in the country. Playing in 13 games last season, Mondon recorded 76 stops including eight for loss. He had an interception in the SEC Championship Game win over LSU and finished tied for the team’s game-high number of tackles. He led the Bulldogs outright in that department in the National Championship, having claim to that title in five of the last six games of the season.

Robinson and Mondon did not dress out, nor did Mykel Williams (foot) or Pearce Spurlin (shoulder). They were the only injured players to not suit up at all while the likes of Jalon Walker (shoulder), Marvin Jones Jr. (shoulder), Dan Jackson (foot), Kendall Milton (hamstring) and Andrew Paul (knee) were in pads and went through initial warm ups with the team as they continue to make their way back from various injuries.

Georgia was also without transfer wide receiver Rara Thomas on Saturday. Thomas, who arrived in Athens by way of Mississippi State in December, led the league’s other Bulldogs in receiving yards last season, hauling in 44 passes for 626 yards. He scored seven touchdowns, second-best on the team. Thomas was arrested in January for a misdemeanor family battery charge as well as a felony false imprisonment stemming from a situation involving his girlfriend. The felony charge has since been dismissed, and the misdemeanor will be dropped once Thomas completes a pre-trial diversion program that has him in an anger management course, doing 40 hours of community service and paying service fees to the court.

“Rara has some things he has to work on and we’re working on those things,” Smart said when asked about Thomas’ non-participation during G-Day. “He was with us and he did some special teams things but he did not play on the offensive side of the ball.”

Thomas ranks as the No. 10 overall player to have entered the transfer portal this offseason according to On3 and the fifth best receiver. Georgia also landed wide receiver Dominic Lovett from Missouri who finished with two catches for 30 yards and defensive back Smoke Bouie from Texas A&M, credited with a single stop on G-Day.

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