DJ Waller has a Lingering Hamstring Injury

1R8A4530 — DJ Waller and Ty Bryant celebrate at Kentucky Football Fan Day, via Aaron Perkins, KSR

There are some persistent injuries that are hard to kick. Kentucky cornerback DJ Waller has one of them.

A week ago, Mark Stoops was optimistic that Terhyon Nichols and DJ Waller would be ready to play against South Carolina. One of the starting cornerbacks returned and played against the Gamecocks. Unfortunately, Waller was unable to give it a go.

The 6-foot-3 athlete from Youngstown was a week one starter for the Wildcats. He logged 28 snaps before suffering an injury to his hamstring and it’s unclear how long it will keep him on the sideline.

“It’s one of those injuries with a hamstring that’s touchy. It’s very frustrating for him. He’s worked very hard,” Stoops said on Monday.

“You heard us talking a lot about him in the camp and throughout the summer. He worked really hard, and continues to work hard. It’s frustrating for him. For guys that have never been through that before, you try to educate them and help them and talk through it about how you feel like you’re okay, but then the minute you’ve got to go after somebody and open it up, it’s just a different deal. We’ll continue to gauge that.”

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Waller’s career got off to a promising start in Ann Arbor. He averaged a dozen snaps per game in 10 contests as a true freshman during Michigan’s run to a National Championship. He’s dealt with injuries ever since he got to Kentucky, only appearing in seven games last fall.

Kentucky could certainly use Waller on Saturday. The strength of Georgia’s offense is different than usual. Instead of relying on a bevy of physical backs, they have a deep and talented wide receiver room. Zachariah Branch can make one miss and take it to the house. Waller would be an ideal matchup for Noah Thomas, a 6-foot-5 receiver who specializes in contested catches.

The SEC Availability Report releases on Wednesday. You can expect to see Waller on it. Hopefully, another bye week will give his hamstring enough time to heal before Kentucky finishes the season with seven straight games.