Georgia Football: Injuries Strike UGA As Zamir White, McGhee Go Down

Georgia Football Head Coach Kirby Smart runs a tight ship. There are few leaks from UGA practice,and most reports have been positive, particularly for the offense. Unfortunately, the injury bug is the source of the latest news, with two serious injuries for the Dawgs.

Georgia Football has had a lot to celebrate lately. UGA currently has the top rated recruiting class for 2019, after landing DT Tymon Mitchell. Dawn of the Dawg’s  Kyle Funderburk wrote about the commitment in this article. 

WR Demetrius Robertson had his waiver granted, and immediately adds another dangerous weapon to the Dawgs’ offense. Word out of practice is that the offense looks very sharp. Five Star recruit QB Justin Fields is proving to be very talented, and incumbent starter Jake Fromm appears to be much more comfortable and is taking the next step forward.

Bad news has emerged this past week, as the injury bug has decided to visit Athens, Georgia. On this past Tuesday, it was announced that Jr Defensive Back Tyrique McGhee, has a small foot fracture and will miss 4-6 weeks. The injury occurred during a team scrimmage. It put McGhee’s status in peril for the Georgia Football season opener, against Austin Pea on September 1st. If his injury takes the full-time to heal, Tyrique could return as late as September the 22nd at Missouri.

Tyrique Mcghee has played in 19 career games for Georgia Football. He was competing for a starting spot at both Cornerback and the Star position. The Star position is a hybrid position, that requires the skill and responsibilities of a Cornerback and a Safety.

Sophomores Mark Webb, and Ameer Speed, along with Freshman Tyson Campbell are competing for the Cornerback spot opposite side of All American candidate DeAndre Baker. William Poole and D’Angelo Gibbs, both Sophomores, are the top contenders for the Star position.

Kirby Smart wasn’t ready to concede that McGhee would miss anytime, according to Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald in a tweet:

I spoke with Jamey Goodman, AKA New Dawg, of the famous Dawgcast Podcast, to get his thoughts on how Georgia Football will replace McGhee:

"“Tyrique was battling for playing time when he injured his foot. Mark Webb Jr and Tyson Campbell were moving up the depth chart quickly. With the injury we will see a combination of those two opposite of Baker at CB, unless Campbell continues to improve. He’s the type of athlete that could grab it, and not let it go. Deangelo Gibbs will likely see time at Star. He seems to be back in good graces with the team now. Lee Co native Otis Reese, may get action at Star as well. Very physical.”"

The next player to be bitten by the injury bug, had a much more unfavorable outcome. Freshman 5 Star Running Back Zamir White, tore his left ACL during a scrimmage, while covering a kick on special teams. It was a non contact injury, and was not the same knee he injured last year, his Senior Year of High School. This often happens as a player favors their “good” limb, while rehabbing from surgery on the other one. Dawn of the Dawg’s  Kyle Funderburk documented the injury here.

The loss Zamir is a big blow, as White, a 5 star prospect, was said to be the most versatile back on the roster. At the same time, the Georgia Football is absolutely blessed with a surplus of talent, at the running back position. DeAndre Swift, Elijah Holyfield, Brian Herrien, and James Cook, are a talented stable of backs that remain for the Dawgs.

Sophomore DeAndre Swift is expected to lead the UGA backfield. Swift had 771 total yards from scrimmage and 4 TDs, in his fabulous Freshman season. Junior Elijah Holyfield, son of former Boxing Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield, is expected to handle a lot of the power runs. He averaged 5.9 YPC with 2 TDs on 50 carries last season.

Junior Brian Herrien, who has 643 yards from scrimmage and 4 TDs in his career provides a combination of speed and power. Freshman James Cook, 5’11 190 lbs, is expected to provide speed and explosive plays. James is the brother of Minnesota Vikings Running Back Dalvin Cook. He attended Miami Central High, the alma mater of Atlanta Falcons Running Back Devonta Freeman. FanSided.com provides a great breakdown of the Georgia Football backfield.

Jamey “New Dawg” Goodman of the popular Dawgcast Podcast, told me his thoughts on how the Dawgs backfield would shake out, absent White.

"“I see the 1st 4 weeks playing out very similar to how it would had Zamir not injured his knee. I think initially he would have been brought along slowly. What changes is long term, particularly the depth and fresh legs, that he would have provided later in the season. The way I see carries getting chopped up, is Swift and Holyfield in today’s version of Thunder and Lightning, with Herrien being the next guy off the bench. However, Cook has shown enough this camp to warrant carries himself.  Look for Cook in the passing game, and even potentially in Wild Dawg looks.”"

The recent injury news is slightly concerning. It’s particularly disturbing for Week Two, with the rival South Carolina Gamecocks moving back to an early slot on the schedule. Despite the bad news this past week, the Georgia Football Bulldogs are still the favorites to win the SEC East, and get back to Atlanta. Let’s all pray this injury bug is exterminated, or at least migrates to another state. Keep a browser window open to ATL ALL Day, for all of the current happenings with your favorite Dirty South sports teams. Also download the FanSided app and favorite All Atlanta Sports.