JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Georgia coach Kirby Smart would love to hit a “reset” button and get all of his players back to 100 percent for the stretch run.
But that’s not how the real world works, of course — it’s not a video game — and attrition is a very real part of football
Smart updated the injury situation for the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs on the SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday.
Most notably, Smart indicated that while inside linebacker Smael Mondon is ready to return from an ankle injury, he might be a bit rusty.
“He’s still getting back to normal in terms of striking and hitting people,” said Smart, who enters Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game against Florida having led Georgia to wins in four of the past five meetings against the Gators.
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“The conditioning is different when you’re on the sideline than when you’re out there running and tackling. Endurance-wise will be the biggest adjustment for him.”
Smart’s defenses rank among the most assignment-sound in college football, and there are always key individual matchups in the games.
Mondon, an athletic 6-foot-3, 220-pounder who starred on the track as well as the football field at Paulding County, figures to have his share of isolated instances with mobile Florida QB Anthony Richardson.
Veterans Rian Davis and Trezman Marshall have played inside behind Mondon, but they don’t have the sideline-to-sideline speed that Mondon has exhibited.
Ideally, Georgia could have one of the most disruptive defensive tackles in the nation if Jalen Carter can return from the sprained knee he suffered against Missouri.
Carter has been limited in the work leading up to the game, and Smart has sounded uncertain about his availability or potential effectiveness.
The most notable injury on offense that Smart has addressed is receiver A.D. Mitchell, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the second game of the season.
Some defenses have adjusted to Mitchell’s absence by playing more press coverage and moving safeties closer to the line of scrimmage, challenging Stetson Bennett to beat them with deeper throws.
Regardless of Mitchell’s status, the Bulldogs will get a lift from Ladd McConkey’s continued recovery from the foot injury he has been playing with since the first game this season.
The status of power running back Kendall Milton remains unclear, however, leaving open the possibility that Georgia might only have three scholarship tailbacks available.
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Georgia tentative availability
Ladd McConkey (foot), probable
A.D. Mitchell (ankle), probable
Arik Gilbert (personal), probable
Chaz Chambliss (hamstring), questionable
Jalen Carter (knee), questionable
Kendall Milton (groin), questionable
C.J. Washington (neck), out
Earnest Greene (back), out
Dan Jackson (foot), out
Drew Bobo (labrum), out
Andrew Paul (knee), out
