Kirby Smart gives news on injured Georgia defenders
ATHENS — Georgia lost three key defenders in the team’s 24-20 win over Florida on Saturday. Defensive lineman Jordan Hall and linebacker Chris Cole both exited the game in the first quarter, while cornerback Demello Jones left in the fourth quarter.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart provided an update on the trio when speaking to reporters Monday.
Jordan Hall will be “out for some time,” Smart said. Hall left with a knee injury on the third play of the game for Georgia.
“Jordan is a tough one because that kid’s been through a lot injury-wise,” Smart said. “He fought to get back last year towards the end of the year, and he wasn’t even 100% healthy then. Then he had a good offseason and was really leading and competing and playing well for us. Just a tough injury for him to sustain. We’ll see what the timeline is once we know more later today and tomorrow.”
With Hall out, Xzavier McLeod and Elijah Griffin will take on a larger role on the defensive line. Look for redshirt freshman Nnamdi Ogboko and redshirt sophomore Joshua Horton to see an uptick in snaps.
Smart did provide better news on Cole, as Smart thinks Georgia might be able to get the sophomore linebacker back for the game against Mississippi State on Saturday. Cole is likely to be limited in practice Monday.
“Chris Cole, we have a chance to get back this week,” Smart said. “We think he’s gonna be able to play and be able to go. He might be a little limited today, but he’ll be able to practice tomorrow.”
At inside linebacker, Terrell Foster subbed in for two snaps with Cole out. Georgia also likely will lean more on Justin Williams at inside linebacker. In terms of rushing off the edge, Georgia did deploy Raylen Wilson more in the role held by Cole. The sophomore is tied for the team lead in sacks with 3.0.
Smart did say that the elbow injury Jones suffered was not as severe as initially feared and that he possibly could return to play this week.
“Demello, surprisingly, is better than we originally thought,” Smart said. “He’s got some soreness in the elbow, but he may be able to play, so we’re excited that news isn’t as significant as we thought.”
Georgia will continue to start Daylen Everette and Ellis Robinson at cornerback. The potential absence of Jones could allow Daniel Harris to reenter the lineup at cornerback.
Entering the game Saturday, most of Georgia’s injuries had been on the offense. Wide receivers Colbie Young and Talyn Taylor are out still.
Georgia is expected to be without Kyron Jones once again, as he continues to deal with a foot injury. JaCorey Thomas got the start alongside KJ Bolden against Florida.
Bolden was ejected following a targeting penalty. Zion Branch came in and played the entire second half in the Georgia secondary.
An availability report will be put out by the SEC on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 90 minutes before kickoff Saturday.
The game against Mississippi State is scheduled for a noon start on ESPN.
Georgia football injury report
- DL Jordan Hall — leg
- LB Chris Cole — knee
- DB Demello Jones — elbow
- WR Colbie Young — leg — out
- WR Talyn Taylor — collarbone — out
- DB Kyron Jones — foot — out
- TE Ethan Barbour — ankle — out
- DB Ondre Evans — knee — out
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
