Last minute injury update for key Georgia football player

The hope heading into Georgia football’s showdown with No. 1 Texas was that veteran offensive lineman Tate Ratledge would be healthy and able to play. It appeared that Ratledge had been heading that direction, but unfortunately it looks like he will be sidelined once again.

Ratledge sprained his ankle during Georgia’s win against Kentucky, and he has been unable to make a return to the field since. Kirby Smart commented on his health after the Bulldogs’ win over Mississippi State last week, sharing just how close he is to making a return.

“Yeah, he’s much closer,” Smart said on Saturday. “He’s running. He’s on dry land running, pushing it. You know, he’s got a custom-made brace. And we keep hoping he gets better.”

CBS Sports has also shared that Ratledge could be used in an emergency situation during the Texas game if needed. But in all honesty, I hope he is kept out of the game. If he’s not good enough to play the entire game then it’s probably wise to not risk further injury by throwing him into this big of a game before he’s ready.

We also need to factor in that Georgia has a bye week after the Texas game. So Ratledge will have two more weeks to get healthy before the final five games for Georgia this season. That should be more than enough time to not only be healthy enough to play, but to get back to 100 percent health.

This news however is still very tough to see. Ratledge is one of the better offensive lineman that Georgia has on their roster, so it’s very unfortunate that he now has missed the two biggest games of the season against Alabama and now Texas.

Hopefully this time the result is better for Georgia than it was against the Tide, because imagine the hype surrounding the program after a win, heading into the bye week, and knowing Georgia gets a star in Ratledge back by the next game.