Tate Ratledge has battled back, mullet and all

Tate Ratledge may currently be more known for his mullet than his play at right guard for Georgia, but that’s something he hopes to soon change.

After missing all but four plays of the opener against Clemson due to a Lisfranc injury, Ratledge has been back, hoping to regain the starting job he held going into the 2021 campaign.

So far, so good.

Although some soreness forced Ratledge to ease back at times during fall practice, the Rome native said Tuesday he feels confident he’ll be ready to go when the Bulldogs open the season a week from Saturday at Mercedes Benz Stadium against Oregon.

“I’m feeling great. It’s been a process getting back, of course, but the better I work the better I feel,” Ratledge said after practice Tuesday. “It’s been a pretty good fall, so far.”

Ratledge also revealed a fact that was previously unknown as far as his injury was concerned. He actually ran a play after it occurred before coming out of the game against the Tigers.

“I knew right away when it happened. I looked at Warren McClendon at right tackle and I said ‘Warren, my foot’s broke,’’ he recalled. “He was like what do you mean, and the next thing I know they were calling a play.”

Frustrating would not even begin to describe Ratledge’s feelings after the injury occurred.

The former Darlington star had an excellent fall in 2021 to earn the starting job at right guard, only to have his season end four plays into the campaign.

“I had no clue what (a Lisfranc) was. I had never heard of it before,” Ratledge said. “I had to ask what it was. I just thought it was a broken foot.”

Working back from the injury was certainly not easy.

Part of his recovery involved being on a knee scooter for 10 weeks.

“Being on just one leg for that long was pretty tough,” Ratledge said. “Of course, the back end of it, getting back in shape was really tough.”

But back in shape he is.

Although his progress was recently slowed by a minor foot injury. Ratledge feels he’s getting close.

“There’s some strength stuff I’ve got to work on,” Ratledge said. “But I feel pretty much back to normal.”

Mentally, he’s also back where he was before.

“One thing I learned is to not to take things for granted because I was top of the world,” he said. “Then the next thing I know it’s over with. But I definitely feel I understand the game better having to sit back and watch. Mentally, I’m definitely a lot stronger where I was.”

Of course, any interview with Ratledge cannot be complete without a question about his mullet, a haircut he said came to be due to the fact he attended a private school (Darlington School).

“I wasn’t allowed to have long hair in high school, it couldn’t touch the collar,” Ratledge said. “So, when I got to college, I’m going to do something with this. I had like a six-month awkward phase, but it’s here now. I’m too far in to cut it now.”