Kirby Smart assesses the play of AD Mitchell after return from injury

Georgia got a welcome sight in last week’s SEC Championship against LSU when AD Mitchell played a few snaps. It was his first appearance since Oct. 8 as he dealt with an injury, and Kirby Smart said he still has a long way to go.

Mitchell didn’t register a stat, but Smart said it was still good to see him back on the field. Smart’s goal for the game was to get Mitchell to contribute, and he said he was happy to get him some game action again.

With a few weeks to go until Georgia takes on Ohio State in the College Football Playoff, Smart said the focus will be on Mitchell’s conditioning to help him get all the way back.

“He’s got to work on his conditioning level,” Smart said. “He hasn’t played consecutive snaps as much as we’d like, and he’s really got to work hard on that. It was good to get him back in there and get him into rhythm. I don’t think he was 100% last night, but it’s important to get his confidence back and get him back rolling. He’s worked so hard to get back and tried so hard to have a role.

“I thought he did a really good job emotionally last night, not being up and down, because he’s a kid that wants to do — he’s so energetic, he wants to do well, and sometimes he pressed. Last night he settled into the flow of the game nice, and it was nice to get him out there some.”

Kirby Smart discusses balancing the transfer portal with CFP preparations

What’s one more distraction when you’re the reigning national champions and you’ve played with a target on your back the entire season? Well, for coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, balancing the transfer portal and preparing properly for a semifinal matchup with No. 4 Ohio State sure is one.

Smart, though, plans to manage it the way he has so far during his Georgia tenure: Trusting the people he’s designated to scour the portal to do that while he and the rest of his staff prepares for the College Football Playoff.

“You’re always going to look and people try to reach out once they go in the portal,” Smart said. “It’s there. They have people on staff at Ohio State and we’ve got people on our staff that are going to be constantly looking through there, watching tape, evaluating it.”