Colbie Young’s injury could be a serious problem for Georgia football

Georgia received some bad news form Kirby Smart on Tuesday as wide receiver Colbie Young has been ruled out indefinitely with a leg fracture suffered in the Bulldogs’ 43-35 win over Ole Miss on Saturday.

"It's not good,” head coach Kirby Smart via 247sports.com said after the game. “It's a fracture down there. It's broken. I can't remember if it was tibia or fibula. I don't know which one. But it's not good."

Young came up injured after hauling in a 36-yard pass from quarterback Gunner Stockton on a first quarter flea-flicker. And while no concrete update was shared after the game, Smart did announce on Tuesday that Young will be out for an indefinite amount of time.

The senior wideout appeared to say as much with a post on Snapchat following the game.

Colbie Young's absence will be difficult for Georgia to overcome

Young is a massive loss for the Bulldogs. He was Georgia’s leading receiver entering Saturday's game and will likely have his season end with 23 catches for 336 yards and a touchdown.

It would be the second time in both of his years with Georgia that Young’s season is over prematurely after being suspended for misdemeanor charges of battery and assault in 2024. That legal matter was resolved after the season and Young was granted another year of eligibility after the NCAA ruled JUCO years don’t count towards eligibility. 

The 6-foot-3, 215 pound Young was Georgia’s best vertical threat and the most reliable player they had to win contested one-on-one catches. If he’s done for the year, a big part of Georgia’s offense is gone with him.

His absence was really felt down the stretch in 2024 as Georgia lacked a true outside target at wide receiver and was forced to deploy Dillon Bell at the ‘X’ spot even though his skillset is much more suited as a gadget-type player who does well in space and can occasionally make plays out wide. But with Young likely out for the season now, Georgia will be forced to turn to other options. 

Georgia has options to replace Colbie Young

The most obvious player who can step in for Young is Texas A&M transfer Noah Thomas. He has similar size to Young and led the Aggies in receiving last year with 39 catches for 574 yards and eight touchdowns. 

But Thomas has been very quiet this season, save for a huge 30-yard catch in Georgia’s win over Auburn. The Bulldogs might press him into more action very soon.

Bell is also an option for an increased role as well. Though he was up-and-down playing on the line of scrimmage for Georgia last year, he made arguably the biggest play of the day for the Bulldogs on Saturday with his 36-yard grab that set up Georgia’s last field goal.

Beyond those two, freshmen Taylyn Taylor and C.J. Wiley are options out wide as well, though neither has made much of an impact so far this year. Georgia of course still has the uber-talented Zachariah Branch, though he is mostly used in the slot and has a completely different skillset than Young,

No matter what happens, Georgia cannot afford to once again go without a reliable outside target for the majority of the season. If they don’t get increased production from Thomas or a career year from Bell, the passing attack could be seriously limited without Young.