Georgia football thankfully has stayed very healthy all offseason. Sure the Bulldogs picked up some minor injuries here and there throughout the summer, but Georgia is extremely healthy entering the last few days before their season opener against Marshall.
Kirby Smart spoke with the media on Tuesday and he shared a mixed bag of injury updates. This includes one player who is fully healthy, one who is trending in the right direction, and one that has been ruled out for Saturday's contest.
So let's dive right in and see what Smart had to say.
P Brett Thorson
Brett Thorson has been dealing with a significant knee injury since Georgia's win over Texas in the SEC Championship game last season. This injury has a chance to keep Thorson sidelined for their season opener against Marshall on Saturday, but Smart shared on Tuesday that he is inching closer to a return.
Thorson is now kicking during live periods of Georgia's practices which he has not done since he was injured, so that is a huge step in the right direction. But it sounds like he is still unable to help cover his punts which is the thing that could prevent him from playing on Saturday.
OL Malachi Toliver
Offensive lineman Malachi Toliver suffered an ankle injury earlier during fall camp. Smart never shared the severity of that injury, but on Tuesday he did confirm that Toliver will not be available for Saturday's game.
"Yeah, Malachi's working himself back," Smart shared via 247sports.com. "He's back doing individual drills and running and moving and snapping. He has not been in team drills. We hope to get him back in those next week."
Since Toliver will not be participating in team drills until next week, it is a given that he won't be playing against Marshall. Thankfully it sounds like he should be back by the time Georgia's schedule really begins when they travel to Tennessee week three.
DL Josh Horton
Defensive lineman Josh Horton is a transfer from Miami (FL), and his name popping up during any type of injury talk from Smart is new. Apparently he is someone that has dealt with injuries in the past, but Smart confirmed that he has remained healthy throughout fall camp and will be ready to play against Marshall.
"Josh has stayed healthy through camp, which is a big accomplishment for him," Smart said. "That was a big goal of his to push through and avoid injury, which he did. He's worked really hard. He's in a rotation with the defensive line group competing, and I'm proud of his work. He hadn't shut it down, and he hadn't shied away. That's a big point is, you know, availability is one of the best abilities you can have, and he's done that. He's become a dependable player for us."
Not only will Horton be ready to play, it sounds like he is earning significant reps in Georgia's defensive line room. So Horton is a name Georgia fans will hear on Saturday against Marshall, and it sounds like it's expected that he will make some big plays for UGA's defense as well.