Georgia Bulldogs: Chubb and Michel back at practice

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart last tackled the outlooks of two star running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel at SEC Media Days. Here is a look at both running backs from Day 1 of the Bulldogs fall camp on Monday.

At SEC Media Days, Georgia Bulldogs Coach Smart indicated that Nick Chubb should “begin preseason practices without hardly any limitations,” but as for Sony Michel, “there’s a lot of unknowns.” In Monday’s non-contact practice, as anticipated, Chubb was working as the Bulldogs’ first-team running back.

Chubb, in his knee brace, was a full participant in Monday’s practice. There has been a lot of speculation as to whether or not Chubb would reach a full recovery in time for the Georgia Bulldogs’ Sept. 3rd season opener against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The first day of fall camp was an encouraging one for Chubb and the Bulldogs. He was seen running, blocking, and participating in every drill.

VIA Marc Weiszer of DogBytes Online:

"“Nick has been doing for the last three months everything that the team has done,” Smart said. “He will continue to do that and we’ll continue to monitor his progress. The big thing for Nick is putting a ball in his hand because that’s what he really hasn’t had outside of drill work.”“It just gets you determined,” offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn said of seeing Chubb come back.Smart said some are underestimating the players that are behind Chubb and Michel.“I think there’s a big misnomer out there that if Sony or Nick are not there and not healthy for the first game that there’s no one there,” Smart said. “That’s not true. We went through a large part of the spring without Nick.”"

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Behind Chubb, tailback depth for the Georgia Bulldogs includes: Brendan Douglas, Tae Crowder, and Elijah Holyfield, in that order. According to reports, Holyfield appeared bigger than his listed 209 lbs., indicating he has been putting in a good deal of work this summer.

On the other hand, Michel, in his forearm brace, was restricted to individual conditioning work. It has been just four weeks since Michel’s surgery on his broken left forearm.

VIA Jason Butt of The Telegraph:

"“(Michel’s) going to really work hard on the conditioning aspect early on,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “We’re not really comfortable with him right now on if he’d have to fall and brace himself. He won’t be as involved. Nick has been doing for the last three months everything the team has done. He will continue to that, everything the team is doing. We’ll continue to monitor his progress. The big thing for Nick is putting the ball in his hand because that’s what he really hasn’t had outside of drill work.”"

Next: Atlanta Falcons training camp heats up

The fact that Chubb is in fact making his recovery on schedule is good news for fans. At this rate, it is certainly a good sign and gives the Georgia Bulldogs a lot of hope that he will be ready in time for the season opener. As for Michel, it appears his fate is still yet to be determined. However, the fact that he was doing individual work on the first day of fall camp is a great starting point.

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