ATHENS — Sony Michel now appears to be available to play for Georgia on Saturday. The question is whether he actually will.

Michel, who broke his arm in early July, was given clearance by doctors to take hits, someone with knowledge of the situation told DawgNation on Friday. That was considered the final hurdle for Michel, who has been practicing on a limited basis, to actually play in a game.

But with Georgia playing Nicholls State, an FCS team, on Saturday, it remains uncertain whether Michel will play much, if at all. Michel has been taking handoffs, passes and participating in many drills during practices over the past month. But he wasn’t cleared to be tackled as of Tuesday night, meaning at most he would have had two days of contact practices.

“It’s all up to the doctors,” head coach Kirby Smart said after Tuesday’s practice. “All I can tell you is he’s doing everything he can on the field outside of getting tackled. I certainly hope (he’s closer to playing).”

Michel was Georgia’s leading rusher last season, surpassing 1,000 yards and starting seven games after Nick Chubb’s season-ending knee injury. While Chubb is healthy now, Michel would still be a featured part of the offense, both as another ball-carrier and a part of the passing game.