D'Wan Mathis gets clearance to play

UGASports has learned Georgia head coach Kirby Smart told supporters in Charlotte on Monday night that redshirt freshman quarterback D’Wan Mathis has been cleared for practice ahead of spring camp.

“He’s been cleared, he’ll be able to practice,” Smart told the group. “Coach (Todd) Monken had been watching tape of him before he got injured and he’s excited about him and thinks he’s going to be in the midst of that competition. He’s really a talented young man.”

Mathis - who underwent brain surgery last May - will compete with grad transfer Jamie Newman, Stetson Bennett and Carson Beck for playing time once spring practice begins March 17.

By now, Mathis’ story is a familiar one.

It was last May when Mathis began complaining of headaches and severe sinus pain, which Georgia trainer Ron Courson recognized as signs of a cyst and rushed the quarterback to the emergency room at Athens Regional.

An MRI showed a buildup of fluid around his brain and the cyst. A craniotomy was immediately performed. If the cyst had not been found, it could have burst, and the result could have proven deadly.

Mathis had made impressive strides prior to the surgery.

In Georgia’s G-Day game, Mathis threw for 113 yards and even caught a touchdown pass. He was cleared for weight room work six weeks following surgery. But with the seriousness of the operation, the Michigan native continued to be brought along slowly, although he was ultimately able to run the scout team at quarterback over the final few weeks of the season.