ATLANTA — As the start of fall camp draws near, Kirby Smart is pleased with where his team is at from a health standpoint.
The Georgia head coach provided minimal updates on the injury front when speaking to reporters on Tuesday at SEC Media Days.
The biggest question is that of punter Brett Thorson. He suffered a torn ACL on his plant leg in last year’s SEC Championship game.
Drew Miller took over for Georgia’s game against Notre Dame. It remains to be seen if the Thorson, who was First Team All-SEC a season ago, will be ready for the start of the season.
“He’s done a good job,” Smart said of Thorson. “I can’t sit here and tell you if he’ll be the starting punter. It depends on his health. But he’s starting some punting.”
Smart did confirm that redshirt freshman cornerback Ondre Evans will not be ready to start the season as he recovers from an ACL injury he suffered during spring practice.
Tight end Jaden Reddell and outside linebacker Quintaivus Johnson had Tightrope surgery following the spring game to repair ankle injuries. Both should be ready to go for the start of fall practice, which is expected to be at some point in late July.
As for those who missed spring practice, Smart shared that all of the players dealing with shoulder injuries are fully healed. Those include defensive tackle Christen Miller and left tackle Monroe Freeling.
“I think everybody else is back,” Smart said. “We haven’t had anybody else that’s been — most of the issues we have right now are soft tissue, like pulls and hamstrings. But the significant injuries, the shoulders from spring that were out at all back.”
Cornerback Daylen Everette was dealing with a hernia injury that limited this spring. Now healthy, he’s excited to return to the field.
“I feel a lot better,” Everette said. “Haven’t really been limited anymore. Being back, it feels great. Being limited is not fun to do. You’re sitting out and seeing everybody. You want to be out there.”
Injuries were a major issue for Georgia a season ago, highlighted by Carson Beck suffering a season-ending elbow in the SEC Championship game.
All those injuries a season ago could prove to be a boost for Georgia, as players such as Gunner Stockton got experience.
“He did miss a lot of those opportunities that we’ve had in the past, but he also got what is real time and I think real time pays off this year,” Smart said of Stockton.
Georgia opens the 2025 season against Marshall on Aug. 30. The game is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET start.
