Kirby Smart highlights growth from Roderick Robinson
Heading into the 2023 season, the Georgia Bulldogs were dealing with a handful of injuries in their offensive backfield. But those injuries have not impacted the Bulldogs’ season as much as they would other programs, thanks to their running back depth. One player taking advantage of the opportunity is freshman running back Roderick Robinson.
Robinson has been Georgia’s leading rusher in 2023, making the most of his touches during the early part of the season. Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart likes what he’s seen out of his freshman running back thus far. He recently took some time to highlight the growth he’s seen from Robinson early on.
“He got spring ball to learn, figure some things out, get caught up to speed. And he’s had an opportunity,” said Smart. “We had some injured backs. He’s been healthy. I’ve seen him mature. He’s very bright. I think he has good vision. He continues to improve, picking up his pass pro. He should be a weapon doing that because he’s big and physical. So he should be able to do that. It’s something that all freshmen go through in which they have to learn that; have to get comfortable picking up blitzing backers at our level. It’s not something they do at their level. So, he continues to improve, and (I’m) proud of the work he’s done.”
Georgia has done much of their work through the air in the first two weeks instead of on the ground. Still, Robinson has been a solid contributor to the Bulldogs’ offense, leading the team in rushing yards with 88 and two touchdowns . As long as he continues to grow and develop, Georgia fans should anticipate the young, talented freshman running back featuring in the offense and possibly earning a more prominent role down the line.
Smart discusses the absence of Ladd McConkey
The Bulldogs have also been without star receiver Ladd McConkey in their first two games of the 2023 season. But as the conference portion of their schedule draws nearer, some fans are antsy about McConkey’s status going forward.
With SEC play set to start in Week 3, Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart took some time to discuss his star receiver’s rehab process and the impact his absence has on the offense.
“Well, we have guys that have similar skill sets; they don’t have the experience,” said Smart. “I mean, we got guys capable of appealing the void left by Ladd, but we don’t have guys with the experience in this offense — two years, 15 games a year, 30 games experience. It’s just immense. So that’s the part we miss.”
“As far as his ability, he hasn’t been available. He’s been injured, and he’s trying to come back. And we’re trying to figure out all we can do to speed that process up.”
McConkey has played in two full seasons for Georgia after redshirting his freshman year in 2020. As Smart pointed out, he has played in 15 games in both 2021 and 2022, not missing a single game during both of the Bulldogs championship runs. In that time, McConkey has recorded 89 receptions for 1209 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. He has also done his fair share of damage in the running game, recording 11 rushing attempts for 170 yards and three rushing touchdowns.