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Georgia RB has surgery for toe injury, Kirby Smart confirms
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Georgia looks to be without its leading returning rusher for the Week 1 showdown with No. 14 Clemson, and potentially later into the season.
Kirby Smart was asked about running back Roderick Robinson during Monday’s press conference. Smart confirmed that Robinson had surgery for a toe injury.
When asked about when Robinson could return to action, Smart did not set a target date.
“Not real sure,” Smart told reporters. “Probably will be week to week. Not sure how long it will take in terms of the surgery.”
Last season, Robinson logged 24 carries for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had 7 rushes for 70 yards in the 63-3 Orange Bowl win over Florida State.
Georgia’s running back room was led by Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards last season. With both now playing professionally, Robinson was the top returning rusher from the 2023 squad. He might not be the only notable absence in the RB room.
The status of Florida transfer running back Trevor Etienne, projected to be UGA’s RB1 this season, is uncertain. Etienne had a DUI arrest in March. He was able to plead down and resolve the case in July. When asked if Etienne would face suspension, Smart declined comment Monday.
Seth Emerson of The Athletic offers a more discouraging outlook. On Robinson, Emerson writes the sophomore ball-carrier “will be out for several weeks, if not months.” Emerson also reports that Etienne is facing a 1-game suspension from the DUI arrest.
Branson Robinson could be RB1 for Georgia against Clemson based on the reports regarding Etienne and Roderick Robinson. Branson Robinson last played in the 2022 season, missing the 2023 season due to a knee injury suffered in fall camp. He made 12 appearances as a reserve in the 2022 national championship campaign, logging 68 carries for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The Dawgs would also likely give Cash Jones an increased role in the rotation. The walk-on redshirt junior appeared in all 14 games last season, logging 22 carries for 161 yards and 1 touchdown, adding 11 catches for 92 yards and 1 score. UGA’s 2024 freshman class includes Nate Frazier (4-stars, No. 2 RB), Chauncey Bowens (4-stars, No. 17 RB) and Dwight Phillips Jr. (4-stars, No. 18 RB).
Georgia and Clemson are for a noon ET kickoff in Atlanta on Saturday. The Bulldogs are 13.5-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
