Injuries are starting to mount a little for the Georgia Bulldogs. That they coincide with the arrival of contact practices is no coincidence.
Sophomore James DeLoach, who is slated to start at the strongside outside linebacker position known as “Sam,” suffered a thumb injury in practice on Sunday and underwent surgery Monday at St. Mary’s Hospital. The left-hand injury will sideline DeLoach only a few days, according to coach Mark Richt said.
Freshman Davin Bellamy, who is also an outside linebacker, suffered the same injury on the same hand the same day and also underwent surgery Monday.
“Well, you’ve got a lot of hand-to-hand combat in there and your digits get pushed back sometimes and get damaged,” Richt said following Monday’s practice, Georgia’s first in full pads. “So we’re going to clean them up with the surgery and then ‘club’ them up to protect them. And they’ll be practicing relatively soon. You don’t miss an awful lot on that.”
The players’ injured hands will be completely encased in a protective wrap or club. Richt said they should be able to use their thumbs by the time the season opens Aug. 31 at Clemson.
DeLoach, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound sophomore from Jenkins County, played a limited role in 13 games last season and finished with four tackles. But he has been the subject of much praise from coaches over the offseason and is expected to be a major contributor this fall.
Senior Chase Vasser, who has started five games for the Bulldogs, moves up. Bellamy, a freshman from Chamblee, had offseason shoulder surgery and wasn’t expected to contribute very much early.
Add those injuries to a list that includes three defensive backs and an offensive lineman. Free safety Tray Matthews (shoulder) practiced Monday but was held out of contact due to an injury suffered Saturday. Cornerback Shaq Wiggins was sidelined with a groin injury and safety Quincy Mauger rode an exercise bike due to an undisclosed leg injury. Redshirt freshman Greg Pyke was out with a sprained ankle.
“It’s not good,” Richt said. “But like I told them after practice, stuff is going to hurt. But just because it hurts doesn’t mean you’re injured. If you’re injured, you’re injured and we understand that. But football is a game that is very, very physical and you have to be mentally and physically tough to be able to play it.”
Getting after it: The Bulldogs had their first full-contact practice since last spring on Monday.
“It was a very physical, very intense practice,” Richt said. “I was pleased with the physicality and the energy of the day. The first day of pads, if you’re a football player, that gets a guy’s blood up. The coaches, too. It was a good day for that.”
The highlight of the day came in a 3-on-3 competition between the offensive and defensive lines and a single ball carrier. Freshman tailback J.J. Green reportedly rolled over the top of a pile of bodies and landed on his feet to score a touchdown. The two units played to a tie before the offense won the single-play tiebreaker.
Etc.: The names of two freshmen continue to come up in the discussion of players who have stood out during the first five days of camp: Reggie Davis and Leonard Floyd. Davis, a true freshman wide receiver from Tallahassee, is drawing attention for his raw speed and a fiery attitude. He took snaps with the No. 2 offense on Monday. Floyd, an outside linebacker who came to Georgia from Hargrave Military Academy after graduating from Dodge County High, is said to have outstanding athleticism. … The ESPN College GameDay crew was on campus Monday. They'll be at Clemson on Tuesday and will announce plans to broadcast from there before the Georgia game.
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