Promising Georgia linebacker out for spring practice due to shoulder surgery

Georgia football starts spring practice Tuesday, and the Bulldogs will be without several players due to injury.

Coach Kirby Smart shared that center Drew Bobo, defensive lineman Jordan Hall, outside linebacker Gabe Harris, defensive back Kyron Jones, defensive lineman Carter Luckie and linebacker Zayden Walker are out for spring. Walker had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.

The Georgia coach added that a few more players were dealing with smaller injuries, but their availability should not be impacted for the entirety of spring practice.

“We’ve got several others that have injuries that are coming back from maybe in or out a couple days of practice,” Smart said. “But those are the guys that are out for the majority of practices. Looking forward to this spring. We’ve got essentially about 40 to 50 new players once you count the signees, the portals and some of the other guys. So as we always say, the roster turns over quickly. I’m excited about spring.”

Bobo suffered a foot injury in Georgia’s game against Georgia Tech last season. He missed Georgia’s games against Alabama and Ole Miss to conclude last season. Malachi Toliver stepped in for Bobo as the team’s starting center. Smart hopes to get Bobo back to full strength during the summer.

Hall suffered a knee injury in Georgia’s win over Florida. The defensive tackle missed time during the 2024 season due to multiple leg injuries. Georgia has to replace defensive tackle Christen Miller, but the Bulldogs bring back Xzavier McLeod, Elijah Griffin and Nnamdi Ogboko at the position. Smart noted that Hall will be running during spring practice.

Smart shared that Harris underwent surgery after suffering a turf toe injury in the SEC championship game.

Luckie had a knee injury during high school that required surgery.

Walker appeared in 10 games last season and had two sacks. He forced a fumble in Georgia’s win over Texas. The rising sophomore projects to be an important piece on Georgia’s defense in 2026.

The Bulldogs bring back plenty of proven contributors from last season’s team, which went 11-1 and won the SEC. Georgia’s season came to an end in the College Football Playoff when the Bulldogs lost to Ole Miss. Quarterback Gunner Stockton, running back Nate Frazier, linebacker Raylen Wilson and tight end Lawson Luckie are among those expected to lead Georgia during the upcoming season.

Georgia will hope to have a number of young players break out this spring, including Talyn Taylor, Griffin and linebacker Justin Williams. The Bulldogs signed the No. 6-ranked recruiting class this past cycle, led by 5-star Kaiden Prothro and 4-star Ekene Ogboko.

Georgia will have 15 practices this spring, concluding April 18 with G-Day.