Kirby Smart shares Lawson Luckie update, what his loss meant for UGA

When Georgia freshman tight end Lawson Luckie suffered an ankle injury during preseason practice, the Bulldogs lost a player they were counting on this season. Yes, Brock Bowers is still the go-to guy after winning the award for the top tight end in the country, and yes, Oscar Delp likely would’ve been ahead of Luckie on the depth chart with a year of experience advantage, but after a strong showing in spring practice, Kirby Smart and company felt that he provided them with something worth being part of their plan.

“He provides depth. He came in in the spring, had a good spring practice and we felt very confident that he was going to be able to help us this year in terms of both 12 and 11 personnel,” Smart said on Wednesday during the SEC Football Coaches Weekly Media Teleconference call. “When we lost him there in the scrimmage, it hurt us from a depth standpoint.”

Luckie suffered the ankle injury during Georgia’s first scrimmage of fall camp on August 12th. He underwent surgery that following week to have the injury repaired. Both Luckie and the Bulldogs are hopeful he can get back at some point this season.

“He’s working his butt off and fighting to get back out there,” Smart said. “Don’t have a timetable for when that would be, ended up having that tightrope surgery, but I know he’s dry land running and moving around. Still got a ways to go.”

Last fall, wide receiver Arian Smith underwent the same surgery for an injury that also occurred for him during one of the team’s scrimmages. Smith missed the first month of the season but returned for the fourth game against Missouri.

While it remains to be seen if a bigger player like Luckie – coming in at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds – is able to get back as quickly, Georgia absolutely would welcome him with open arms. As things stand, Bowers, Delp and Luckie’s fellow freshman Pearce Spurlin are the only three healthy scholarship tight ends. When Georgia went on the road last season with travel roster restrictions, the Bulldogs traveled as many as six.

Luckie, who was ranked the No. 145 overall player and No. 8 tight end in the Class of 2023 per the On3 Industry Ranking, put together an impressive high school career at Norcross. In four seasons, Luckie hauled in 14 touchdown passes and totaled 1,476 receiving yards on 126 grabs with the Blue Devils. He would sign with Georgia in December 2022 and began working out with the Bulldogs right away, helping them prepare for their College Football Playoff matchups against both Ohio State and TCU.

As an early enrollee, Luckie made headlines in the spring. A Georgia legacy with a father and a pair of uncles who played for the Bulldogs in the 1990s, Luckie drew the attention of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart upon arrival.

“He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve been around, as far as playing football. He does a really good job on that. So it’s fun to be around him,” Smart told ESPN’s Alyssa Lang during the G-Day spring scrimmage. “I’ll tell you, he’s a kid that took advantage of, he didn’t go play in all these all-star games. He just said, ‘I’ll stay here and practice with the Georgia Bulldogs.’ So he had 15 to 20 practices of semifinals, and the finals game that he practiced with our team. So he’s so much further ahead.”

Luckie hauled in three passes for 48 yards that Saturday. He reportedly had three touchdown catches in one of the Bulldogs’ earlier spring scrimmages too.

“Lawson has grown up a lot,” Smart told Georgia reporters prior to the spring game. “I think nobody benefited more from bowl practice than Lawson Luckie. He just said, ‘You know what, I want to go to bowl practice’. He didn’t miss one bowl practice. He was there every day. He was everywhere with us. He traveled with the team, blocked people on scout team, scout special teams.”

“He jumped on seniors and followed them,” Smart continued. “He has grown up a lot and he’s getting very mature quickly. He’s not where he needs to be. I think he’d be the first to tell you he likes to consider himself a tough guy. He’s got a ways to go to be tough enough to be a physical blocker. He does have some savvy route running. He’s got really good hands. He continues to improve, but he can’t think that he’s all the way there.”

Georgia opens conference play this Saturday at Sanford Stadium as the Bulldogs welcome the South Carolina Gamecocks to town. Kickoff time is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS as the SEC Game of the Week.