Earnest Greene, Juan Gaston injury update: Kirby Smart updates progress leading into Tennessee game

No. 6 Georgia opens SEC play on Saturday at No. 15 Tennessee in a bitter rivalry that the Bulldogs have dominated of late, winning the last eight straight. Still, knowing the level of competition ahead, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is taking a wait-and-see approach with a pair of ailing starting offensive linemen during this week of practice.

Nevertheless, Smart was encouraged by what he’s seen early this week from junior offensive tackle Earnest Greene III and freshman offensive guard Juan Gaston after both sat out last week’s game vs. Austin Peay with what’s been described as lower-body injuries.

“Well this is not a game you want someone that’s not 100-percent healthy out there playing,” Smart said Wednesday during the SEC’s weekly teleconference. “It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be quick, it’s going to be violent – all SEC games are – but this one is really going to be that way. They play with really big physical guys up front, so you need all the power you can get, all the stamina you can get.

“But both of those guys showed good progress yesterday. I really liked the way both of them looked. I liked the reps they took,” Smart continued. “They’ll take more reps today and (we’ll) just see where they are. We’ve got to make a good judgement, and today and tomorrow are physical days for us so we’ll get after it and find out where they are.”

Both Greene and Gaston started the season opener vs. Marshall at right tackle and right guard, respectively, but each left before the end of the first quarter and wouldn’t return. Gaston suffered an ankle injury while Greene is experiencing back stiffness, according to DawgsHQ. Sophomore Jahzare Jackson and redshirt freshman Michael Uini started in their place against Austin Peay at right tackle and right guard, respectively.

Juan Gaston became a rare true freshman starter along Georgia offensive line vs. Marshall

Gaston was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2025. A Westlake, Georgia native, he was the 62nd-ranked recruit overall and the fourth-ranked interior offensive lineman in that recruiting cycle. He would be quickly thrown into the fire at Georgia. There, he’d become the first true freshman Georgia offensive lineman to start in a season opener since 2017, but he’d suffer an apparent ankle injury in that opening game.

Earnest Greene, meanwhile, is a veteran who has been at Georgia since 2022 and played in 25 games while making 23 starts over the past two seasons. Greene previously missed the entire 2022 season after needing back surgery.

The Georgia Bulldogs seemed to struggle at times on the offensive side of the ball in Week 2 against Austin Peay. That game, which was delayed due to bad weather, saw the Bulldogs only put up 28 points. In the process, they gained 5.5 yards per play and had 190 rushing yards. However, two turnovers slowed the Bulldogs down.

Tennessee is, obviously, a major step up in competition. The Volunteers have a strong defensive line and are going to look to create havoc in the backfield on Saturday. Kirby Smart knows keeping the pocket clean and establishing the run is going to be vital to help Gunner Stockton play a game good enough to win in Knoxville.

— On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this report.