Georgia football fans are quite rightly excited at the prospect of seeing Zamir White make his return but will that come in the spring?
Georgia football fans just love running backs. I mean we do. Some schools like QB’s, others like receivers, but at Georgia, fans care most about the position that the great Hershel Walker used to play. It’s in the schools DNA and no player seems to get fans more excited than star’s who run the rock.
Zamir White’s commitment to UGA might have been the most excited I have been from a high school players decision. When you watched the guy in high school, it was like watching an absolute phenom. I’ve never seen someone that big and strong have such speed and quickness. He was a unicorn and someone I could not wait to see put on the red and black. Then came not one but two ACL tears. Fortunately, they were on separate knees and yes I said fortunately. Multiple issues on the same knee could potentially mean irreparable damage and would be a real cause for concern.
White has been hard at work and we got to see a small glimpse of him at the Sugar Bowl where he was jogging during practices. Fast forward 3 months and the question now is how much will he do this spring? I know that fans are just desperate to see White on the field and I have no doubt that many would want to see him at G-Day this spring. That being said, I just cannot foresee a situation where White plays in that game less than 9 months after his second knee injury. It just seems like too much of a risk and Kirby Smart and his coaches should not be taking one with a player like White.
It’s hard to manage a player this talented but with two serious injuries under his belt. In some aspects, he wants to play and you want to let him loose. In others, you have to do what’s best for him long term and protecting his career. We’ve seen videos and pictures of Zeus crushing it in the training room so far this spring. I expect that he’ll likely be a part of doing drills as well. But I also don’t think there is any chance that they put him out there in a full contact environment like G-day. It’s just not what’s best for him.
There is still a long way to go until the 1st game of the season. White has nearly 6 months to continue to not only heal but to improve his understanding of the offense and climb his way up the depth chart. There’s no reason to rush that process as much as we fans might want to see him. I’d much rather have him come on strong late in the season when he’s fully healthy than risk a third and potential final injury to a player that has so many good things ahead of him.