Georgia football has been eagerly awaiting the return of running back Trevor Etienne from injury. Etienne suffered a rib injury during Georgia's win over Florida about a month ago, and he has never been the same since. He did give it a go against Ole Miss the following week, but it was clear he wasn't fully healthy as he only received six carries.
Even since then Etienne has been out and a return date as been unknown. Kirby Smart was asked about Etienne during his press conference on Tuesday, and unfortunately it appears Etienne could be out for longer still.
"Trevor has been able to run," Smart shared via 247sports.com. "He was running, well, he hit 20, 21 miles an hour yesterday, which is really good for him. He looks good, but he hasn't been able to do anything with us."
When could Trevor Etienne return?
It's no secret how desperately Georgia needs more help at running back. Thankfully it sounds like running backs Branson Robinson and Roderick Robinson are both nearing a return, but it would be amazing if Etienne joined them alongside Nate Frazier as well.
All four running backs are very talented, so to have that many options for Smart to use on offense would be a really fun thing to see. But unfortunately it sounds like Etienne won't be back for Georgia's game against Georgia Tech on Friday.
His status for his game hasn't been made official yet, but if he is still not able to do anything with the team three days before this game then it would be nearly impossible for him to be ready to go by Friday. However, Georgia may not need Etienne to beat the Yellow Jackets anyways, so this wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
Georgia does need Etienne healthy though if they want to make a run at a national championship, so the sooner he's back the better for everyone.