The Georgia football program delivered just about the worst news you could imagine on Wednesday when it confirmed wide receiver George Pickens suffered a non-contact knee injury that will require surgery on his ACL.
Related: George Pickens to have surgery on knee after ACL injury
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart offered up some brief analysis on the injury and what a recovery will look like for Pickens.
“The good news is that the MRI showed it to be an isolated injury with no other structures involved,” Smart said. “George is a hard worker. I know he will bring the same work ethic to rehab that he shows in practice every day.”
George Pickens himself has since posted following the news. He posted a black screen on his Instagram page with the caption ‘bye.”
Georgia and college football fans had pretty much the same reaction to the news, flooding social media with well wishes for the talented wide receiver.
Georgia fans though weren’t the only ones to react to the news of Pickens’ injury, as it caught the attention of the national media as well.
Pickens was Georgia’s most talented wide receiver after leading the team in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches over the past two seasons. Pickens’ game went to another level last season once quarterback JT Daniels took over. In Georgia’s final four games, Pickens caught 23 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns. Those were all Daniels starts and all Georgia wins.
Georgia does still bring back most of its returning production at wide receiver, tight end and running back. Even without Pickens, Georgia will have six of its top seven pass catchers from the 2020 team back.
The Bulldogs will look for bigger years from the likes of Kearis Jackson, Jermaine Burton, Darnell Washinton and others without Pickens.
Pickens is not the only injured Georgia wide receiver that will attempt to make a comeback, as Dominick Blaylock and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint are also recovering from significant injuries.
Smart provided an update on their status prior to the start of spring practice.
“Both of those young men are running straight lines and beginning to increase their workload,” Smart said in early March. “They’re not working with us in our offseason conditioning program, meaning they’re not in the actual drill. They have to work separate, but they are increasing speeds.”
Some Georgia fans, in an effort to look on the bright side, did point out Georgia’s depth at the position.
Georgia completed its fourth spring practice on Tuesday and returns to the field on Thursday. This was the first time that George Pickens had gone through spring practice in his time at Georgia.
The Bulldogs’ first game of the 2021 season is set for Sept. 4, when they take on Clemson.
George Pickens injures ACL, DawgNation reacts
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