Georgia gets good news on the injury front ahead of Week 1

ATHENS — Georgia coach Kirby Smart lamented multiple times this offseason not having center Drew Bobo and EDGE defender Gabe Harris to end last season.

As for their status for Georgia’s season opener against Tennessee State on Saturday, Smart gave an optimistic outlook for their status.

“They’re great,” Smart said. “They’ve taken every single rep. I don’t know what else to say other than they’re good to go.”

Bobo suffered a foot injury against Georgia Tech last season that required surgery. He also suffered a finger injury during fall camp, but it was on his non-snapping hand.

Cortez Smith and Malachi Toliver have battled this fall for backup job behind Bobo. Toliver started in place of Bobo to end last season.

Bobo was named a preseason first-team All-American, while Harris was a third-team All-SEC selection this preseason.

Harris suffered a toe injury in Georgia’s SEC championship game win over Alabama. He had surgery on the injury and has been limited for most of the spring and fall.

“He brings a lot to the team. Gabe is just a guy that’s gonna go attack it,” linebacker Justin Williams said of Harris. “He has that dog mentality every day. For instance, in our scrimmage, there was a play that got thrown out to the sideline, and Gabe was — he made a monster play and he was the first one to be out there. So that just tells you what type of guy Gabe is. It doesn’t matter how far the ball is away from him. He’s gonna be able to be the one to go make the play and go get to the ball.”

Georgia does have a myriad of options to turn to in the event Harris is limited. Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, JJ Hanne and Isaiah Gibson can all help with the defensive end spot for Georgia. Quintavius Johnson will also be an important piece on the defensive line for Georgia.

Georgia made it a point to try to limit injuries during fall camp, as the team knows it has to play its best come the end of the 2026 season.

Georgia safety Kyron Jones has been on a pitch count in camp as he recovers from a foot injury that ended his 2025 season. Jones had a stellar camp and is expected to start in the secondary.

Wide receiver Craig Dandridge was in a black noncontact jersey for Georgia’s second scrimmage, but he is also expected to play this Saturday. Georgia will be eager to see what the talented first-year pass catcher brings to the wide receiver room.

Georgia’s game against Tennessee State is set for 3 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN+.

“I know our players are ready to play someone other than beating up on ourselves in practice,” Smart said. “Guys are excited. I know the fans are excited. I’m excited for this team to go out and play their first game. We’ve got to play somebody else to get better.”