Georgia injury report: Kirby Smart updates status of Bulldog freshmen
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart offered an injury update on a pair of Bulldogs freshmen after practice on Tuesday. First, CJ Washington and then Nyland Green.
Washington, who suffered a scary neck injury in the spring, has not practiced with the team so far this season. Back in March, Smart described the scary situation that led to the Cedartown, Ga. star being taken off the field by saying that he did not see the hit but turned back around to find Washington face down on the ground. At the time, Smart said that Washington was in great spirits and would be meeting with doctors to determine a possible timeline for return. Then, at SEC Media Days, Smart added that Washington was continuing to be evaluated by medical professionals and that he had shown improvement. He is out of the neck brace but still, there’s no rushing him back onto the field.
“It’s not an injury that you can really rehab. It’s an injury that has to kind of heal itself,” Smart said on Tuesday. “We do periodic checks with him. He’s been here with us. He was here today. It’s good to see C.J. It’s really been a struggle for him, because football meant so much for him and to him. We still haven’t given up hope that he can come back, but we’re certainly going to take all the precautions necessary before we do bring him back.”
Washington was an early enrollee for Georgia after signing with the Bulldogs back in December. Coming out of Cedartown (Ga.) High School, Washington was ranked No. 149 overall and No. 12 among all linebackers in the Class of 2022.
As for Green, the former five-star, redshirt freshman cornerback out of Covington, Ga.’s Newton High School played in Georgia’s game on Saturday against Oregon, seeing 22 total snaps on defense in the win over the Ducks. In the aftermath of the game, he’s been feeling the effects of a sore hamstring that Smart said bothered him at practice today.
“Nyland (Green) has a hamstring that’s bothering him,” Smart said. “It happened late in the game. He doesn’t even know when. His hamstring is hurting him. He struggled today.”
Georgia largely seems to have a clean bill of health otherwise coming out of Week One. Christopher Smith suffered a shoulder stinger on Saturday but spoke with the media afterwards and said it was nothing major. He was out at practice on Tuesday as well and Smart said that he’s ‘perfectly fine.’
Georgia, now ranked No. 2 in the country after Saturday’s big win, is back in action this Saturday against Samford (1-0). Kickoff time from Sanford Stadium is set for 4:00 p.m. ET on the SEC Network with Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb and Alyssa Lang on the call.
