Georgia safety Tykee Smith not '100%' heading into camp – Kirby Smart
Georgia safety Tykee Smith still has some room to grow according to head coach Kirby Smart. Smith missed the start of the 2021 season with a foot injury before tearing his ACL at Auburn.
He’s “doing drills without limitation,” Smart told reporters at the start of Georgia football fall camp.
With that said, Smart still offered the caveat that any time a player suffers an ACL injury, it’s up to Executive Associate Athletic Director and long-time director of sports medicine, Ron Courson, to clear a player.
Smart added that Smith is doing everything that’s been asked of him. He may not be cleared for live tackling as of right now.
“Tykee is out there repping and doing things. I wouldn’t say he’s one-hundred percent, but he’s doing everything we’ve asked him to do. He may be completely cleared for live tackle just yet,” Smart said of Smith’s current health. “That’ll be up to Ron (Courson) and what he feels, in terms of how he feels with and without the brace. It’s about gaining confidence in those things. He’s doing things without limitation. With every ACL, though, just because you’re doing it without limitation doesn’t mean you’re where you were. You have to gain confidence in that. You have to get back in playing shape.”
With Lewis Cine departing for the NFL, one of the safety positions figured to be Tykee Smith’s in 2022
Smith transferred from West Virginia before the 2021 season, where he’d previously been named All-Big 12.
Then, injuries haunted Smith this time a year ago. A foot injury held him back before his season ultimately ended at Auburn.
Christopher Smith and Dan Jackson also figure to be a part of Georgia’s saftety picture.
The fact that Tykee Smith can practice is a positive sign for his 2022 contributions to a Georgia defense that will replace eight starters now in the NFL.
Any delay to full-contact practice is worth keeping an eye on, however.
EJ Lightsey Georgia’s only other injury update
Kirby Smart also updated freshman EJ Lightsey‘s situation with the team.
A knee injury slowed Lightsey down, Smart said, but it won’t impact his practice efforts.
Lightsey signed with Georgia out of Fitzgerald in the 2022 signing class, and a gunshot wound injured his shoulder and back.
Smart says that Lightsey’s most recent injury setback has nothing to do with that incident. He’s also been cleared for practice this fall.
