Georgia football has confirmed that star junior receiver George Pickens has suffered a torn ACL and will require surgery.
The injury occurred in a non-contact drill during Tuesday’s spring practice.
Coach Kirby Smart on Pickens’ injury:
“The good news is that the MRI showed it to be an isolated injury with no other structures involved.”
Pickens was set to be one of the top returning receivers in the country. As a sophomore n 2020, the Hoover, Ala., native caught 36 passes for 513 yards and six touchdowns in just eight games played. That’s after a great freshman season in 2019, where Pickens caught 49 passes for 727 yards and eight touchdowns, good enough to rank second all-time in freshman receptions behind UGA legend A.J. Green.
Pickens definitely benefited from the emergence of J.T. Daniels at quarterback. When the USC transfer stepped in against Mississippi State, he and Pickens seemed to connect immediately. In the Bulldogs final two games of the season versus Missouri and then Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl, Pickens totaled a combined 261 yards on 12 receptions with three touchdowns.
Fortunately for Georgia, the Bulldogs’ receiver room is as deep as it is talented in 2021. UGA returns last year’s receiving leader Kearis Jackson and talented sophomore Jermaine Burton. Redshirt sophomore Dominick Blaylock will be back from an ACL tear in 2020 along with speedy redshirt freshman Arian Smith and senior Demetrius Robertson is back too.
Pair that group with 2021 signee Adonai Mitchell and Georgia should still be explosive at receiver with Pickens out indefinitely.
Check out a new episode of “UGA Football Live with J.C. Shelton” here! This will get you caught up on Georgia’s pro day.
