ATHENS — Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said all along he planned for defensive back Deangelo Gibbs to make a comeback this fall, and now it’s official.

Smart inserted Gibbs, a sophomore who missed spring drills and was not enrolled in classes because of an unspecified medical issue, in the second quarter of the Bulldogs’ season opener against Austin Peay.

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Gibbs, who was also dealing with a left shoulder injury in the offseason, provides valuable depth in Georgia’s talented secondary.

A former Grayson High school standout and top-100 player in the 2017 signing class, Gibbs was expected to win the starting job at safety last fall, but he was beat out by J.R. Reed.

Smart said last week the Bulldogs have several players competing in the secondary for playing time leading up to the opening game.