George Pickens pre-game injury update ahead of Georgia vs. Georgia Tech
Could George Pickens make his return for Georgia on Saturday? Judging by what he was doing during warm-ups, it’s a strong possibility.
Pickens was seen in uniform running routes prior to the Bulldogs’ showdown with Georgia Tech, according to Seth Emerson of The Athletic.
Pickens hasn’t played this year as he recovers from a torn ACL in March. The junior appears to be in line to make his season debut against the Yellow Jackets on Saturday.
Last year, Pickens caught 36 passes for 513 yards and six touchdowns to help lead Georgia to an 8-2 record, including 7-2 in SEC. He suffered the injury during spring drills but has been running with a knee brace since October, according to DawgNation’s Mike Griffith.
The Bulldogs are a perfect 11-0 this season and have a good chance to make it 1`2-0 against Georgia Tech on the road in Atlanta. Kickoff is coming up at noon ET on ABC.
George Pickens was dressed out last week against Georgia Southern but didn’t play
George Pickens was finally spotted fully dressed out for Saturday’s game against Georgia Southern and reportedly participated in pregame workouts, but the Bulldogs’ wide receiver didn’t play in the game.
Pickens has yet to play a snap for the Georgia Bulldogs this season after tearing his ACL in spring practice.
Obviously the fact that Pickens was in uniform and going through warmups is an encouraging sign that the talented pass catcher could be fully healthy soon.
Kirby Smart has been vague when fielding questions about Pickens in recent weeks, and when asked about a timeline for his return in Saturday’s post-game press conference, the Georgia frontman didn’t have a clear answer.
“Not sure on George, he’s not completely cleared yet,” Smart said when asked about George Pickens.
“He’s gotta get percentages on his knee, on his testing. He’s gotta get jumps, he’s got about 15 or 16 tests he does. And when he gets to a certain percentage he can be cleared but we don’t know when that is going to be. It’s a matter of the strength in there and that he’s going to be safe.”
Earlier this week, Smart gave some insight into the George Pickens situation while revealing the receiver had been getting some work on the scout team.
“We’ve had George at practice, catching passes against routes on air, but that’s really been it, the things that y’all have seen. He’s done more competitive periods in terms of scouts and looks and getting confidence, being able to go up against some DBs and things. but he’s not taking reps with the one or two offense because we don’t know when he’s going to be ready.”
Smart has stated in the past that there’s a plan in place for Pickens but he hasn’t revealed what that plan includes. It’s been reported George Pickens has visited with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews multiple times since the summer. Andrews is widely considered one of the top doctors in the world when it comes to knee injuries.