ATHENS — Rico McGraw, who surprisingly did not play in Georgia’s season opener, has been dealing with a shoulder injury, though it may not be why he didn’t play.

The sophomore cornerback had been running first team basically the entire preseason, but then graduate transfer Maurice Smith started the game. Smith said he was told two days beforehand, while McGraw has not been made available to the media this year.

McGraw, who has been seen receiving treatment on his shoulder, has what head coach coach Kirby Smart called a “subluxation.”

“His shoulder is going in and out on him,” Smart said. “It’s very frustrating, especially for a person who has to use his shoulders. DBs have to use their arms. When it’s slipping in and out it’s very frustrating because you don’t know when it’s going to happen. And when it does, it’s really painful.”

McGraw was suited up for the game, and in one photo is seen extending his arms and shoulders out as the team took the field. That would appear to back up what Smart said about McGraw’s injury not being why he didn’t start.

“It had been bothering him before that, yeah. But it didn’t have a whole lot to do with it,” Smart said. “But it has been bothering him.”

Before signing with Georgia in 2015, McGraw was committed for awhile to Alabama, where Smart was the defensive coordinator at the time.

McGraw started five games last year, finishing with 20 tackles, as well as three quarterback pressures.