Who will step up for Georgia after Bulldogs suffer another injury?
One injury after another has caused Georgia fans to begin to hit the panic button on this Bulldog offense.
As unfortunate as it is, injuries are a part of the sport, and the “next man up” mentality will soon kick in.
As of now, the reports are saying that sophomore Jermaine Burton’s knee injury that he suffered on Tuesday is not serious enough to keep him out of the 2021 season but may keep him out until the summer. Dawg Post was told by insiders that Burton injured his knee while running a route, but a true timetable and the extent of his injury are yet to be confirmed.
If Burton only misses the spring, that will be a win, as the original fear was that he would miss a huge chunk of the impending season. However, with key pieces like Burton, Kenny McIntosh, George Pickens, Dominick Blaylock and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint out for spring and possibly beyond, there will be a few names that could shine during drills and G-Day.
Who will step up on offense during the spring and maybe even the upcoming season? There are a few players who could be on the rise.
Arian Smith
Talk about fast. Smith was a member of the USA Pan Am U20 4x100 team in 2019 that broke the world record for fastest time. Smith has olympic level speed.
Smith was redshirted during his freshman year, due to various injuries, but that speed was displayed in a very small sample size in 2020.
The former 4-star receiver can blow past defenders and has been compared to Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle- one of the fastest and most talented receivers in the SEC of the last few years.
Smith is a player that Georgia fans have been ultra excited about, and the playmaking ability is exactly why. He will be a candidate to step up bigtime in 2021
Darnell Washington
He is about as close as you can get to LeBron James’ size. Washington is a freak athlete and was one of Kirby Smart’s crown jewels in the 2020 recruiting class.
Unfortunately, he did not live up to the hype as a dominant playmaker, but perhaps those expectations were unfair for an unpolished freshman. He recorded just seven receptions for 166 yards in his freshman campaign, and three of those caught passes came in the Peach bowl against Cincinnati.
So no, Washington was not a factor on offense in 2020, but that does not mean he won’t be in 2021. His frame and athletic ability is not something that Smart and Todd Monken will keep caged up for long. His potential is through the roof, and the staff is going to find ways to get him more involved.
With the various injuries to the offense, Washington can use this spring to cement himself as one of the key pieces to a talented receiving group.
Justin Robinson
With all of the injuries, there is buzz on social media that redshirt freshman wide receiver Justin Robinson has had a great start to spring practice. Robinson saw action in Georgia’s season opener in 2020, but, due to injuries and getting him acclimated to the system, he was redshirted.
Pickens could potentially miss the entire 2021 season. He was Georgia’s main playmaker on the outside. Robinson has the physical talent to step into that type of role. At 6’4” and about 220 pounds, Robinson is Georgia’s most physically gifted receiver not named Darnell Washington.
Players of Robinson’s stature are highly sought after in the NFL. At the college level, Robinson can use his physicality to win 50-50 balls and become a big threat on the outside.
Georgia has had success with big receivers in the past. AJ Green, Pickens and Chris Conley are a couple of notable names. Robinson has the potential to join that list, and the injuries to Georgia’s receiver room might just be the first step for him.