The Georgia Bulldogs will be without more than 12 players for Thursday night’s Sugar Bowl against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in New Orleans.
The Bulldogs and Notre Dame will go head-to-head for a spot to face Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinals. However, the 2021 and 2022 back-to-back national champions’ hopes of reclaiming their crown have been difficult, with the roster light heading into the game against the Fighting Irish.
Head coach Kirby Smart will be without several key players in the Sugar Bowl due to transfers, suspensions, and injuries. Most notably, Georgia will be without starting quarterback Carson Beck, who underwent surgery on his elbow and will miss the rest of the Bulldogs’ season.
Bulldogs will start backup quarterback Gunner Stockton, who will lead the offense in Beck’s absence. Beck will likely be on the sideline to cheer on his teammates as they chase CFB immortality once more. Elsewhere, star Georgia punter Brett Thorson is out for the rest of the year with the knee injury he sustained in the SEC Championship game against the Texas Longhorns.
Freshman Drew Miller is expected to be the punter in play on Thursday against Notre Dame. Another injury miss is running back Roderick Robinson, who has appeared twice for the Bulldogs in 2024. Robinson suffered a lower-body injury in practice.
Fellow RB Branson Robinson is also doubtful after reportedly suffering a setback with his knee. Branson Robinson did not practice with Georgia in the crucial build-up to the Bowl game. With both Robinsons out, Smart will now turn to Trevor Etienne, Nate Frazier, and Cash Jones.
Georgia freshman defensive lineman Joseph Jonah-Ajonye is also out for the year, with the ex-elite recruit undergoing leg surgery in late Oct. The wide receiver Colbie Young will also be absent after being suspended indefinitely earlier this season. Young had 11 receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns before being suspended.
Nine Georgia players have entered the transfer portal since the SEC championship game and will not feature for the Bulldogs, including cornerback Julian Humphrey and defensive tackle Jamaal Jarrett. Others include receiver Michael Jackson, linebacker Troy Bowles, defensive back Jake Pope, defensive back Justyn Rhett, and outside linebacker Samuel M’Pemba.
The Sugar Bowl had to be rescheduled to Thursday following a deadly truck attack in New Orleans amid New Year’s celebrations. Investigators are looking into whether others were involved in the rampage that killed 15 people and injured dozens. Suspicions have been raised about whether there were accomplices after possible homemade bombs were found near the area of the attack.
The venue of the Sugar Bowl, the Superdome, which will also house this year’s NFL Super Bowl, was swept following the New Year’s rampage. Louisiana attorney general, Liz Murrill, wants to see the game pushed even further back. “Not my decision, but I would like to see it delayed at least another day,” Murrill told NBC News