ATHENS — Gabe Harris thought he was fine. The Georgia outside linebacker knew he had a foot injury he picked up in Georgia’s 28-7 win over Alabama, a game Harris played well in.

Kirby Smart had to deliver some very bad news to his promising defender.

“That was probably one of the most painful conversations I had to have after the SEC championship where he was peaking,” Smart said in an appearance on McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX 94.5. “Greg [McElroy] talked about us playing better. He played better down the stretch when he got confidence, and he played in that game with a very serious foot injury in the Alabama game.”

The Alabama game would be Harris’ last of the 2025 season. Harris missed Georgia’s season-ending 39-34 loss to Ole Miss and a good chunk of spring practice as well.

With how well Harris was playing at the end of Georgia’s 2025 season, it’s very fair to wonder what kind of difference he might have made for the Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff.

“He was like, ‘I’ll be fine, Coach. I’ll get a couple weeks here and get ready to go,’” Smart said. “And then when we had to tell him he was out and had to have surgery because he couldn’t play with it, he was he was crushed.”

As disappointing as the end of the 2025 season was for Harris and Georgia, the Bulldogs were able to bring back Harris for the 2026 season.

Harris enjoyed his best season to date as a junior, as he picked up 26 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

Georgia got Harris back out on the practice field at the end of Georgia’s spring practice, though Harris did not play in Georgia’s spring game.

He’s still not back to the player he was prior to his injury, but Smart has been extremely encouraged by what he’s seen from Harris in rehab.

“He’s just got great toughness. He’s got great pass-rush ability and, shoot, he was back out there at the end of spring going through things without pads on trying to compete against our guys,” Smart said.

Harris took on an even greater importance for Georgia this spring, as the Bulldogs lost outside linebacker Amaris Williams for the foreseeable future due to an ACL injury. Smart didn’t rule out an eventual return for Williams, but it won’t be until deep into the season at the earliest.

Harris will be back for the Bulldogs much earlier, as he’s expected to be back to full strength by the time fall practice begins in early August.

While missing out on Williams will impact the Georgia pass rush, the physicality Harris brings to the table should make Georgia’s defense one of the best in the country in 2026.

“He just strikes people. He came in with three guys at his position and, you know, these people pull and we run all these counters and powers,” Smart said. “Man, he hits the guard before he gets going. Them guards look over there and they see him, they don’t want to go over and hit him.”

The other players Harris came in with — Damon Wilson and Sam M’Pemba — have both transferred to finish their careers elsewhere. Harris is still in Athens, looking to finish his career on a high note.

And certainly in a better place than what happened at the end of last season.