The Georgia Bulldogs just announced out they'll have some major reinforcements returning for the Sugar Bowl on the offensive side of the ball. The team’s latest injury report has senior wide receiver Colbie Young and freshman tight end Ethan Barbour not listed for its Jan. 1 showdown against Ole Miss in New Orleans, indicating that they are able to play.
Both players were previously believed to be out for the year, so their return is a pleasant surprise for the Bulldogs.
Georgia's 2nd leading WR is back just in time for CFP run
Young has not played since fracturing his leg in the Bulldogs’ last tilt with Ole Miss on Oct. 18. At the time of his injury, he was Georgia’s leading receiver with 23 catches for 336 yards and a touchdown. He still ranks second on the team in receiving despite having missed Georgia’s last six games.
Though the Bulldogs’ offense has managed without him, Young’s combination of size, explosiveness and contested catch ability is not easily replicated by any other player on the roster.
“Colbie’s done a great job coming back,” head coach Kirby Smart said vis si.com. “He’s a guy that when he first came out, I didn’t think he was going to be back before the end of the season, regardless of how far the season went. He’s sped that process up. He wants to play, it’s important to him, he’s missed time and he wants to get back out there and go compete.”
Young was having a career year before his injury and his return should be a welcomed one, even if it remains unclear how involved he’ll be after missing the last month and a half.
“We’ll have to see how he looks gameday and what he’s able to do and how we can work him in,” Smart said.
Young said he’s feeling good after practicing on Saturday, though he is still continuing to take things day-by-day.
“There’s no hesitation,” he said. “If I wasn’t fully confident in my performance and how I could play, I wouldn’t be out there, so I really feel great.”
Starting TE is back for Georgia
Barbour has been out since Georgia’s second game of the year against Austin Peay with an ankle injury after starting against Marshall in Week 1. He had drawn considerable buzz in fall camp and was poised to make an impact as a true freshman.
“Ethan’s very attentive, wise beyond his years,” Smart said. “I mean, he was at our practices last year for this game and we already knew, ‘Wow, this guy’s going to be able to pick things up quick’. He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s physical. So we’re excited to have him back and hopefully he can help in some capacity.”
Georgia has a ton of depth at tight end with Oscar Delp, Lawson Luckie, Elyiss Williams and Jaden Reddell, so Barbour’s return is more of a luxury than anything else. But if he can work his way back to being a positive player in the College Football Playoff as a true freshman, it would be a pretty remarkable return from a nasty injury that had his leg in an air cast when he first went down.
The Bulldogs are still missing several key players due to injury, including center Drew Bobo, edge Gabe Harris, nickel Joenel Aguero, safety Kyron Jones and defensive lineman Jordan Hall. But Young and Barbour coming back does at least a little bit to mitigate that.
Georgia will face Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl at 8 pm EST on Jan 1 on ESPN.