Kirby Smart confirms surgery for Georgia RB Roderick Robinson
All signs point to Georgia being without second-year running back Roderick Robinson when it opens the season vs. Clemson on Saturday (12 p.m. ET on ABC. According to Kirby Smart, who kicked off game week with his usual meeting with the UGA beat on Monday, Robinson has undergone surgery for a turf toe injury.
The statement confirms DawgsHQ’s recent reporting on the California native. It is unclear how much time Robinson will miss. Smart didn’t offer much of a timeline when asked.
“Not real sure,” Smart said on a timeline. “Probably be week to week, not sure how long it’ll take with the surgery.”
Robinson was expected to serve as Georgia’s No. 2 or, at worst, No. 3 tailback in 2024. Trevor Etienne, who might be suspended for the opener due to a reckless driving arrest in the offseason, is the Bulldogs’ projected No. 1 running back. Roderick Robinson was battling with Branson Robinson and Nate Frazier for the No. 2 next-up honors in the first week of camp.
He went down with the injury prior to UGA’s first scrimmage of the preseason and sources tell DawgsHQ that he had surgery last week. Odds are high that he’ll miss the first month of the season and it’s not out of the question for him to miss the second.
Robinson missed a good chunk of his first season at Georgia with an injury. He sustained a high-ankle sprain against South Carolina in week three and missed the next six games. Robinson finished the season with 24 carries for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Seven of those carries and 70 of those yards game in Georgia’s beatdown of Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
As a prospect Robinson earned a four-star rating according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that includes all four websites that publish recruiting rankings. He was the nations No. 152 overall prospect and No. 10 running back. He was ranked No. 11 in California.
