FORT LAUDERDALE – Friday’s final press conference before Saturday’s Orange Bowl (4 p.m., ESPN) saw Georgia head coach Kirby Smart offer updates on Amarius Mims, Brock Bowers, and Damon Wilson.

Smart confirmed that Mims is indeed in Miami and with the team.

He will practice with the team today.

UPDATE: Bowers has arrived and was also practicing with the team on Friday.

Wilson, meanwhile, will not play with the team after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee. A full recovery is expected.

Smart was less clear about the status of tight end Bowers who, like Mims, did not travel to South Florida with the rest of the team.

When asked about Bowers’ availability, Smart said, “We’ll see.”

Bowers, who went down with a high ankle sprain at Vanderbilt before undergoing tightrope surgery, returned to play Ole Miss but has not been 100 percent since the surgery.

'It's pretty remarkable the numbers he hit, and what he was able to do as he came back. He kind of changed the culture of the work ethic around here, especially on our offense," Smart said. "To see him go out there and compete and work like he did for the three years, he has been pretty remarkable. I mean, he is a machine when it comes to practice. He set a standard that will be there for a long time."

Daniel Harris sent out a message on Twitter that he was in the NCAA transfer portal.

That’s not the case.

When asked a question about Bulldogs in the portal, Smart said Harris was not in the portal after all.

“Just because someone posts it doesn’t mean it’s true,” Smart said with a slight smile.

Smart did not answer a question when quizzed about where the Bulldogs practiced on Thursday.

"We got a little bit in. I'm not going to get into the details of all that," Smart said. "But we got a little bit of work done and just tried to get out in some fresh air to get out of that hotel. It was rainy. It was wet and nasty all day, and we did not want to stay cooped up in the hotel, so were able to move around a little bit and get out, and we'll do the same thing today.

The media was supposed to be able to watch for 15 minutes before receiving an email from Orange Bowl officials stating its viewing time was being “rescheduled” until Friday afternoon.

Although Smart would not say, multiple sources confirmed that Georgia practiced at the University of Miami, like Florida State, a member of the ACC.

The Seminoles did not have practice scheduled for Thursday.

Smart said offensive line coach Stacy Searels is improving after coming down with pneumonia which has kept him at the hospital in Athens.

"Yeah, Stacy was a little sick before the Christmas break, and the break, I thought we had three or four days off, and we thought he would bounce back. Then when he got ready to come back to work the 25th, he was still struggling," Smart said. "Ron (Courson) had to check in. We feel like he's doing really well. He's moving around in the hospital now in Athens. I don't think he's going to make it down for the game. They don't want to move him right now, but he's up and moving and recovered."

Smart quipped he just feels sorry for Searels' wife Trish.

"His wife Trish said he's ornery as hell, so she's having to deal with him, but he's got a wonderful wife and two daughters, " Smart said. "I know he'll bounce back."

The most humorous moment during Friday's press conference came during an exchange between Smart and FSU coach Mike Norvell when Georgia's coach was asked to recall his favorite moment as a young coach at Valdosta State.

Smart: "My favorite memory would be beating Central Arkansas."

Norvell: "I knew you were going to bring that up."

Smart: "No, I'm just kidding. I think we had a game there we were down a lot of points."

Norvell: "It was 31-7 first half and good halftime adjustments there."

Smart: "Were you playing then?"

Norvell: “Yes."

Smart: "That's crazy, 31-7."

...Smart said once again how proud he was of his draft-eligible players that nobody decided to opt out of the Orange Bowl.

"I'm certainly proud of the guys that decided to, and they want to finish together. I think finishing is important. I don't think enough people talk about it, and everybody says this is what you should do, this is what you should do," Smart said. "For kids that love football, they want to play football. This is the Orange Bowl. You've got an opportunity to go play in the Orange Bowl, and that's not given to everybody."

...Smart was asked what improvements he wants to see from sophomore safety Malaki Starks.

"I think bigger, stronger in the weight room. He's dealt with some shoulder injuries and some dings," Smart said. "It's going to be really important for him to maintain his weight and stay up. He's a really good athlete. He's got the ability to play man-to-man. He could probably play corner if we asked him to, because he's a track kid in high school that had great track numbers."

...Smart also commented on Carson Beck and what he's seen since the quarterback announced he was coming back to Georgia for his senior year.

"I would say more pressure lifted off him. Instead of carrying that burden of that decision, he wanted to get that over and focus on the Orange Bowl, and didn't want to have to answer questions about that down here," Smart said. "He wanted to be at his best. He wanted to lead his team. I thought that was a good decision. In terms of his leadership, he's one of our better leaders. He does it in a different way than most people. He's very poised and calm. Very pleased with his leadership."

...Wide receiver Ladd McConkey and Kendall Milton received high praise for Smart for the job they've done this year.

"Yeah, both those guys have been just stalwarts. It's not just this year. They led last year, the year before that. Kendall and Ladd are two of the most loyal Bulldogs that we'll ever have," Smart said. "They've played on special teams. They create toughness in the way they practice. They've both been through some injuries, and they've both bounced back from those. They never hesitated."