georgia running backs means

ATHENS — Georgia football started fall camp one running back short from its optimal rotation numbers, per assistant Dell McGee, and now the Bulldogs are at least two scholarship players down at the position

Georgia will likely be without freshman tailback Andrew Paul, who reportedly suffered a torn ACL in the team’s second scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday.

Coach Kirby Smart indicated earlier in fall camp that Paul and fellow freshman Branson Robinson could be pushed into action because of the nature of injuries at the position.

“We need them to come along because durability is always an issue at back,” Smart said earlier in fall camp. “I don’t think we’ve been through a year here where we didn’t have at least one of our top three backs miss a game.

“And, if that happens, then one of those guys got to be ready to step up and play.”

Paul’s injury, combined with junior Kendall Milton missing the first two scrimmages with a hamstring injury, could ultimately affect how Georgia uses its personnel and schemes.

UGA has 273 carries to replace with Zamir White and James Cook gone to the NFL -- two players McGee used heavily the past two seasons.

The Bulldogs also lost Lovasea Carroll, a 2021 signee, who transferred to play running back at South Carolina after UGA moved him to defensive back last season as a result of the surplus it had in the backfield.

Carroll was one of 13 players to exit the program via the transfer portal, in addition to the 15 players who were selected in the NFL draft.

Of the primary backs returning:

• Mcintosh had 58 carries in 14 games last season

• Milton had 56 carres in eight games

• Daijun Edwards had 49 carries in 15 games

•Sevaughn Clark had 14 carries in six games

McGee did his best to highlight White and Cook at each turn last season, working to improve their NFL draft values to the extent of White was almost exclusively used on goal line carries.

Now, it’s a matter of UGA needing to provide experience for the next backs up in the rotation, while also doing what it can to keep them fresh and healthy.

Here’s a look at what Paul’s injury could mean to the UGA running backs rotation:

Kenny McIntosh

McIntosh has drawn great praise from Smart and McGee for his offseason work and is the No. 1 back entering the season.

“Kenny has had a great camp; he’s picked up pressures, played really physical, caught the ball out of the backfield,” Smart said earlier this fall. “Everything that he wants to do at the next level in our offense, we have asked him to do, and he’s done a great job at that.”

McIntosh’s versatility makes him a threat as a ball carrier or receiver, but McGee will need to be careful how he uses the rising senior this season.

Georgia was not likely to pound McIntosh between the tackles with high-volume carries even before Paul’s injury.

The Paul injury likely means taking McIntosh off kick return and possibly other special teams, along with pulling him from games a series or two earlier with comfortable leads.

Kendall Milton

Milton has great upside, but each of the past two seasons he has missed multiple games after suffering sprained knee ailments during games.

Milton’s health becomes a focal point, as the junior has the most experience after McIntosh when it comes to crucial game-time action and his noteworthy ceiling.

Smart said Saturday he’s optimistic Milton will be back at full speed very soon.

“Kendall did not go today, but he is much better, he is much closer to being full speed,” Smart said. “Having not practiced, we didn’t want to put him back out there because he did not practice before the scrimmage. He should be back to full speed.”

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken likely considers Milton a diverse weapon when he’s healthy, giving Georgia a strong and formidable 1-2 punch out of the backfield

Daijun Edwards

The bet here is that Edwards gets more work carrying the football than he might have had the Bulldogs’ running backs room not thinned out so quickly this fall.

Edwards has the look of a durable back, even with his physical running style.

It will be interesting to see if Edwards can expand into more of a receiver out of the backfield, the better to keep defenses honest.

Smart has said Edwards, a junior, has earned his trust with his experience and ability to carry out assignments.

“This guy is playing hard, playing physical, knows his assignments inside and out,” Smart said after Scrimmage One. “He’s picking up pressures, catching the ball out of the backfield, so to me I’ve been really pleased with what he’s been able to do.”

Branson Robinson

The true freshman is working to pick things up as quickly as possible, as the head coach has already indicated the pass protection part of his game is not where it needs to be.

That’s not unusual, as Georgia quarterbacks make a lot of calls at the line of scrimmage, from protections to even run plays.

It’s a lot to pick up, especially for a freshman who did not enroll early or have the benefit of spring drills

McGee compared Robinson to Nick Chubb earlier this fall, heaping praise on him.

“The way he’s built, he’s built like a brick house -- .he doesn’t have a neck,” McGee said.

“He’s very similarly built in the shoulders like one of my old teammates, Takeo Spikes. Nick Chubb was a good-looking student-athlete as well. Branson is more than just muscle. He’s very dedicated.

“He works hard in the weight room obviously, and in strength and conditioning. He’s a sharp young man with a lot of promise this year.”

Sevaughn Clark

Clark, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound walk-on junior from Dawson County, is a tough runner who will likely get work early in the season.

Clark had 14 carries in six games last season, in addition to the workload he has carried in scrimmages and practices against one of the most elite defensive units in the nation.

McGee has done well to have a capable player like Clark ready, as this tough and talented runner could play a larger role in many other programs.

Clark is one of only two players in Dawson County High School history to have been named a consensus All-State player during his prep career.