Reaction: UGA Turns to Next Man Up

The injuries to Tykee Smith and Darnell Washington reinforce Georgia's "next man up" mentality.

Wednesday afternoon, SI Dawgs Daily reported that both Darnell Washington and Tykee Smith underwent surgery to repair foot fractures suffered in camp Tuesday. 

An official timetable for the return of these two players has been set, and it means Georgia will have to look elsewhere on the depth chart at tight end and in the secondary. 

Despite Georgia's consistent recruiting of top-tier defensive backs, they entered the 2021 offseason with a shortage of starting experience. The Dawgs lost six defensive backs from a year ago and were in despite need of experience at cornerback. 

The roster holes allowed Kirby Smart and Georgia to bring in two of the top targets in the transfer portal at defensive back, with Tykee Smith being one of them from West Virginia. 

Smith was a huge addition for the Dawgs and an even more significant loss for the West Virginia Mountaineers; Smith was selected to several All-America teams and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe award in 2020. 

The hope for the former Mountaineer was that he make an impact on day one at the STAR position for Georgia, after seeing both starting contributors at STAR, Mark Webb and Tyrique Stevenson, leave Athens for the NFL Draft and the transfer portal. 

Depth is thin at STAR withSmith having been the expected starter for the week one matchup against Clemson, or at least a major contributor. However, Latavious Brini, the senior out of Miami Gardens, Florida, saw his first collegiate start in the Peach Bowl against Cincinnati at the STAR. Brini caught the attention of fans and media alike for being impactful in stopping Cincinnati's quick passing game. 

Behind Brini, it is not yet clear who is the number two. Georgia will likely have a younger player like Javon Bullard or David Daniel, both freshman training to play the STAR if called upon.

The loss of depth and experience could force Georgia to start running more traditional 3-4 packages where edge rusher Adam Anderson could be used in space at "STAR," which was used throughout the spring. 

On the other hand, for Georgia, the loss of Darnell Washington, the massive sophomore tight end, will allow for senior John Fitzpatrick and freshman Brock Bowers to share the load at tight end. 

Many are hopeful that 2021 will be the year that Georgia's unfulfilled promises of using the tight ends more in the passing game come to fruition. Of course, the loss of Washington hurts Georgia because they won't have him on the field, but the addition of Bowers in the 2021 recruiting class may help offset the loss of Washington.

It is being said that the true freshman tight end Brock Bowers is impressing throughout camp and would've likely seen the field in 2021 even with Washington in the lineup. 

Overall, this year's offense is well suited to deal with the mass attrition coming its way throughout camp so far. That being said, they cannot afford to lose any other weapons long-term. On the other hand, the young defense will need every hand on deck to prepare for a week one clash with Clemson.

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