Georgia's rash of injuries this season continued as coach Kirby Smart announced Monday that right tackle Amarius Mims, a preseason All-SEC pick, will be sidelined with what Smart described as a "bad" high ankle sprain.
Mims, who is the fifth-highest-rated draft eligible offensive tackle according to ESPN's Mel Kiper, will undergo TightRope surgery, Smart said. The procedure uses surgical thread instead of metal screws and is designed to accelerate recovery.
"We don't know how long that will be," Smart said of Mims. "He'll be back, it's just a matter of how long."
Tua Tagovailoa had the surgery at Alabama in 2018 and was out for a month. Cedric Tillman had the surgery at Tennessee last year and missed four games. Closer to home, Georgia tight end Lawson Luckie had the surgery in mid-August and hasn't appeared in a game this season.
Smart opened up his news conference on Monday lamenting what he said is the longest injury list they've had at Georgia since he took over the program ahead of the 2016 season.
"And it continues to grow," he said.
Smart said that anecdotally it feels as if injuries are more prevalent in college football this season. He said it's up to him and his staff to be resourceful.
"That becomes a hurdle, and we've got to do a good job overcoming that," Smart said.
Last year's leading receiver, Ladd McConkey, hasn't played a game this season as he continues to deal with a lingering back issue. Smart said McConkey will likely miss Saturday's home game against UAB, too.
"We don't have a timeline on him because it's such a unique injury," Smart said.
Running back Kendall Milton, who left last Saturday's win over South Carolina, is dealing with MCL injury. But Smart said he's unsure how "significant" it is.
Freshman running back Roderick Robinson had a high ankle sprain, Smart said.
Seemingly the only good news Smart had to offer is that offensive lineman Austin Blaske, who missed the past two games with an MCL sprain, is expected to return to practice Monday.