REACTION: Georgia's Depth Thins at Running Back
Heading into the final two weeks of the offseason, with week one 13 days away, Georgia looked like it was "surviving" fall camp. A relatively healthy football team all camp had made its way to the second and final scrimmage of camp without any major injury taking place, a stark contrast to a year ago.
Yet, injury struck Saturday during Georgia's closed to the public team scrimmage, as sources confirmed to SI Dawgs Daily Saturday evening that freshman running back Andrew Paul limped off the field into the medical tent Saturday. Later, he underwent MRIs to diagnose a potential knee injury. Now, Sunday afternoon, sources confirmed the true freshman back suffered a torn ACL. As first reported by on3.com.
Paul's absence will be noted over the coming weeks as fellow running back and projected starter Kendall Milton missed Saturday's action as he recovers from a hamstring injury. However, Smart indicated Saturday evening during his press conference that he expects the junior to return to action soon.
One of two scholarship backs taken in the 2022 recruiting class, Paul, a three-star recruit, and five-star Branson Robinson were brought into Athens to help bolster a room that lost both starters from a year ago.
"These two young guys are different. They’re a little heavier, thicker, run behind their pads and they probably don’t show up best until days like today, because they’re a little harder to tackle. You don’t see that in practice every day. I thought both those guys [Andrew Paul and Branson Robinson] had good scrimmages."
- Kirby Smart on Andrew Paul and Branson Robinson following the first scrimmage
The season-ending injury to Paul leaves Georgia with just four running backs on scholarship for the season opener against Oregon in less than two weeks. Losing depth at a position like running back is not what Georgia wanted, considering over the last few years, it has been a position that has shown the wear and tear of playing hard-nosed, physical football. Kendall Milton and Kenny McIntosh, both projected starters this season, have missed time with injuries over the last two seasons. The pair have missed a combined 15 games since the 2020 season.
With Milton, McIntosh, Edwards, and Robinson still expected to be healthy come the season opener, Dell McGee's running back room is still projected to be one of Georgia's most talented position groups.
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