Losing George Pickens isn't something Kirby Smart is taking lightly but the sixth-year head coach also realizes that there's nothing he can do about it now. The former five-star prospect suffered a spring-ending ACL injury on Tuesday, one that puts his 2021 season in jeopardy. Smart obviously believes that it hurts his football team but he also understands that he can't sit around and dwell on something he can't change.
"George will be dearly missed because he's talented, he works really hard, he makes our whole team better," Smart said in his first meeting with the media since Pickens' injury. "I know that's obvious in terms of what he does offensively but he makes all the defensive backs better. So when you talk about challenging guys, there's no better matchup for a young DB to go against than to go against George. That part we don't control but what we do control is how we respond to it and George knows injuries are part of the game. We'll have other guys step up and I'm very hopeful that George gets well and is able to come back."
It's way too early for Smart to know when or if Pickens might be able to return. He pointed to an ACL tear suffered by former defensive back Divaad Wilson and how he was able to return for the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the end of the 2018 season, but Smart's concern for the time isn't on getting Pickens back on the field. He did, however, acknowledge that head athletic trainer Ron Courson will provide the best care possible during Pickens' recovery.
As Smart stated, Pickens' impact reaches beyond the offense but he was Georgia's leading receiver as a freshman, hauling in 49 passes for 727 yards and eight touchdowns. He played in eight of 10 games in 2020 and finished second on the team in receiving yardage by one yard. He caught 36 passes for 513 yards and six scores. He did that thanks to a late-season surge after JT Daniels was inserted as the starting quarterback.
In Daniels' four starts, Pickens caught 23 passes for 374 yards and four scores. He eclipsed 100 yards receiving in each of UGA's final two games of the year and was off to a roaring start in his first spring practice at UGA after enrolling in June of 2019 and having last year's spring drills cancelled due to the spread of COVID-19.
Smart noted that Georgia had to play a couple of games without Pickens last year. He also pointed out how the Bulldogs have proven playmakers in Kearis Jackson and Jermaine Burton. The burden of replacing Pickens won't fall completely on those two players' shoulders and it's not entirely up to the receivers, either. According to Smart, it's up to all of the offensive skill players -- the receivers, the tight ends, and the running backs.
There are two ways to look at Pickens' injury and how it impacts the passing game. You can talk about the production lost or you can talk about the X-receiver position where he served as a playmaker whether he was able to create separation or not. Smart chooses the former.
"You take your best 11 football players and you try to find ways," Smart said. "That could be one back, three tight end. That could be three back, one tight end. That could be five wides, no backs, no tight ends. You find your best football players and you find ways to get them the ball and that's what I think coach Monken does a great job of. He's going to try to exploit whoever you are playing's weaknesses and he's going to try to use our strengths to do that with. We have plays that we call that are the same plays we call in all personnel groupings, it's just another way to get another playmaker the ball. We lost a guy who is a pretty good playmaker but we've got other guys who we think are good playmakers and we'll just try to find ways to get them the ball."
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March 26, 2021 at 07:25AM
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Kirby Smart says George Pickens will be 'dearly missed' but a return is possible - 247Sports
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