The Georgia Bulldogs may be without a star WR when they take the field against Clemson football to open up the 2021 season
The Clemson football team will open up the 2021 season with a neutral-site matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Both the Tigers and Bulldogs are expected to be ranked inside the top-five when the season begins and this matchup is already being touted as the best game on opening weekend.
Unfortunately, Georgia may be without one of its top stars when the Bulldogs take the field in September.
DawgNation’s Connor Riley reported Wednesday that UGA star wide receiver George Pickens had suffered a torn ACL.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart confirmed the news and didn’t place a timetable on when Pickens might be able to return.
"“The good news is that the MRI showed it to be an isolated injury with no other structures involved,” Smart said via DawgNation. “George is a hard worker. I know he will bring the same work ethic to rehab that he shows in practice every day.”"
From what we know about ACL tears, the normal consensus is that rehab takes anywhere from six months to a year and then it may take even longer for a player to be able to return to the field.
We do have an example as Clemson football fans of a player returning much sooner than that, though.
Amari Rodgers suffered a torn ACL during spring practice in March of 2019 and he was able to return to action by Week 2 of the 2019 season, which was just six months after the injury occurred.
Rodgers’ return to action- in a time when many thought he wouldn’t be back until October or November at the earliest- shocked people across the nation.
With him in mind, we can’t rule out the possibility of Pickens being able to return in time to play against Clemson. Although, that does seem unlikely and would be a blow for Georgia if he isn’t able to return.
Pickens is considered by many to be one of the top receivers in the nation and he was the best returning WR on the Bulldog roster.
As Pickens begins the recovery process, we wish him nothing but the best and hope he is able to return to the gridiron fully healthy sooner than later.