Saturday scrimmage news and notes

Georgia wrapped up its second scrimmage Saturday at Sanford Stadium.

Afterward, head coach Kirby Smart addressed the media via Zoom.

Below are highlights of the 22-minute call.

➼ Smart was asked about both his injured players and the status of Arik Gilbert for the opener in Charlotte against Clemson.

Although he did not offer any specifics when asked specifically about tight end Darnell Washington (foot), tight end John FitzPatrick (foot), safety Tykee Smith (foot), and Gilbert, Smart did seem to sing a positive tune.

"Yeah, we're hopeful to get all those guys back soon. So, that's the plan really on all the guys that are injured. We don't have an injury that's got us out for a long amount of time,” Smart said. “We hope to get all those guys back,” Smart said. “Every one of them was day-to-day, and some of them you mentioned are practicing now. Each one of them is a different situation, but I expect to be full tilt when Clemson comes, when it comes time to play them. We had more guys healthy today than we did in the last scrimmage. So, we're in good position there.”

➼ Smart did reveal that wideout Arian Smith is dealing with a turf toe injury, but along with Justin Robinson and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint is expected to play integral roles against Clemson.

"And then, Arian coming from track, he missed some of the summer workouts and was not able to go. He's bounced back and has been battling a little bit of injuries the past couple of weeks,” Smart said. “He's had a turf toe injury where guys have been stepping on his toenail and it kept getting stepped on. It's been bad, really bad. He's missed a little bit of time, but all three have a different skillset, and are all three competitors. They continue to grow and are all in that receiver rotation."

➼ Freshman offensive lineman Amarius Mims is battling some minor injuries.

Smart said Mims has been slowed somewhat due to some lower back issues.

The former five-star did take part in Saturday’s scrimmage.

“Amarius is getting better, but he has had some lower back issues, spasms. He's had to sit out some practice time, but not necessarily a whole practice,” Smart said. “So, he just hasn't gotten the reps. You need lots of reps, and he's going to grow into a really talented player.”

➼ Saturday’s scrimmage was the longest of the two for the Bulldogs this camp, and overall, Smart was pleased with what he saw.

“I thought we had a real productive second scrimmage. It was not as hot. It was a little bit overcast. We were able to complete the scrimmage and get in 120-130 snaps. Both our 1s and 2s had 50-plus. Then, our 3s got another 20-30 of those snaps,” Smart said. “The offense did a little better job. The offense had more explosive plays, some good opening drives. Defensively, we struggled to tackle. I believe we actually tackled better the last scrimmage than we did this one, which is not usually the way it goes. When you tackle, usually you get better, so that’s something we really need to hone in on.”

➼ Smart was not happy with the communication on either side of the ball, and noted that special teams' play was not as clean as it was last week.

“I was pleased with the way the guys competed in what was the last day of what I consider our camp. We’ve competed in spiders more than we have before, some due to NCAA rules, and some by chance,” Smart said. “But I’m pleased where our guys are, and pleased with the attitude we had. We’ll take (Sunday) off, take some off Monday, and get back to work on Tuesday.”

➼ Senior Latavius Brini is in fact working with the first team at the star position, while Tykee Smith continues to recover from his foot injury.

However, he’s not alone.

“Brini is working there, we’ve got linebackers working there, and we’ve got a couple of other DBs working there,” Smart said. “I feel really good about the play of Brini from the bowl game. He’s played this his whole career. Poole’s working there; we’ve got several guys working there.”

➼ As far as the cornerbacks go, Smart likes the competition he’s seeing.

“Yeah, Jalen Kimber, Kamari Lassiter have done a really good job. Nyland (Green) and LC (Lovasea Carroll) continue to work with the corner position. DK (Derion Kendrick) and Kelee (Ringo) and Ameer Speed and Kimber bring us the most experience,” Smart said. “Kamari is obviously the youngest, but he’s worked all over the place. The guy’s played almost every position on the field. He’s a bright young player and has good instincts. We’ve got to find a home spot for him to get him more reps and ready to play.”

➼ Freshman defensive back David Daniel was not at practice while he attended a funeral.

➼ Smart singled out safety Dan Jackson, a walk-on who could see some time on the field.

“Dan Jackson has done a real good job. He's one of the toughest, hardest-working young men,” Smart said. “Everybody on the team respects Dan Jackson because of the way he works, and he's going to be able to help our team this year."

➼ More on freshman tight end Brock Bowers.

“Brock’s been a good player since he got here. He came in the spring, probably was swimming some in the spring, but he’s accelerated his learning. He’s competitive; he works his tail off every day. He’s a joy to be around," Smart said. "He’s what you want in a football player. So we’ve got to find a way to use his skill set. He has no expectations from me. My expectations for him are to go out and lay it on the line and compete every day. He does that."