Kirby Smart reveals health of Javon Bullard after injury return

Very banged up to open the season, No. 1 Georgia is beginning to get healthier, with the return of a few key players including safety Javon Bullard.

Bullard missed two games with an ankle injury but returned in this weekend’s contest against Auburn. Coach Kirby Smart provided an update on his status coming out of the game.

“Unscathed. Sore,” Smart said. “Long game, had not had that much running, physicality and use in two or three weeks, two weeks, whatever it was, 14 days. You get sore when you don’t do anything for that long then you go do that much. Just typically what your body does, but he’s been good.”

Bullard didn’t miss a beat in his return, instantly making some key contributions in the win over the Tigers.

He managed to tally 10 tackles in the win, while also breaking up two passes in the secondary. That’s a pretty solid outing for a player who had been sidelined for multiple weeks.

While Bullard was sore, there was nothing coming out of the game that would limit him going forward.

“He recovered Sunday, Monday,” Smart said. “He’s great. Had a lighter day Monday and then got after it today. He seemed good today.”

Javon Bullard, Ladd McConkey return

Javon Bullard wasn’t the only Georgia star to return from injury on Saturday against Auburn, as receiver Ladd McConkey saw his first action all season after returning from a back injury.

Senior Bowl executive Jim Nagy joined the Andy Staples On3 show and discussed McConkey’s return.

“First, it was just good to see him back out there, Andy,” said Nagy. “I mean Kirby Smart made comments during the week that he was going to play and you just never know. So, when he came out during pregame, I was like, ‘Okay, this is going to happen. This is great.’”

“I’d never, like, really set my eyes on Ladd before. When I’d gone to games in the past, he wasn’t a senior. So I wasn’t paying as much attention. He’s 5’11, he’s 185 so he’s not, like, the biggest guy in the world. But he was an easy guy to like off his junior tape. He was our second graded receiver off junior tape behind Rome Odunze from Washington.”