One of the things the DawgNation team was most curious about coming out of last weekend? The status of Tyriq Green.
Green had an awesome game against Western Kentucky, with a defensive touchdown and kickoff returned for a touchdown, but at the very end he had his leg rolled up on by teammate Bo Walker and needed help leaving the field.
We heard from Georgia coach Kirby Smart, junior tight end Jaden Reddell and senior safety Khalil Barnes on Monday.
We’ll get into plenty on Georgia’s SEC opener in Arkansas on Saturday, but Smart unfortunately didn’t have much of an update for us yet on the Green front:
Monday, Smart shared that the Bulldogs are still waiting for full results on Green’s status.
“T-Green, we’re finding more and more out on,” Smart said. “We’ll see what the deal is with him as the week goes if he’s able to play or not.”
Green’s first touchdown against WKU came in the third quarter when he recovered a fumble by defensive back Blake Stewart after he came down with an interception.
“He’s (Green) been doing that ever since he got here to Georgia,” cornerback Ellis Robinson said. “Just seeing him make plays out there on the field, it’s not a shocker at all. That’s what he does.”
In the fourth quarter, Green returned a kickoff return for a touchdown — the 91-yard return was Georgia’s first kickoff return since a 2016 game against South Carolina.
Green, the AJC’s All-Class Player of the Year last season, was a standout for the Bulldogs during spring practice. He came down with an interception at cornerback in Georgia’s spring game.
Georgia has an experienced secondary in front of Green. The Bulldogs again started KJ Bolden, Kyron Jones and Barnes at safety and star, respectively. Rasean Dinkins was the first safety off the bench Saturday.
Georgia was also without second-year wide receiver Thomas Blackshear, who is dealing with a wrist injury. The Bulldogs were once again without outside linebackers Chase Linton and Amaris Williams.
Their absence puts more on the plate of freshmen Khamari Brooks and PJ Dean.
Georgia safety Tyriq Green (center) gets helped off of the field after the Bulldogs' 70-20 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, at Sanford Stadium in Athens. (Jason Getz/AJC)
Georgia safety Tyriq Green (left) tries to avoid the tackle of Tennessee State's Richard Garrett (bottom) on a punt return Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, at Sanford Stadium in Athens. Georgia won 63-3. (Jason Getz/AJC)
Smart brushes off prior verbal jab from Silverfield
Saturday will be the first time Smart coaches against Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield.
But it is not the first interaction between the two SEC coaches.
When Silverfield was at Memphis last season, he took a public swipe at Smart and the Georgia program while speaking in a radio interview.
“Generally, on a Sunday afternoon when we meet with the team, we do two things,” Silverfield said in September. “We always start off with not our standard, always start out with a negative. And the not our standard is ‘Georgia wide receiver arrested for driving 900 mph over the speed limit.’ That’s a weekly occurrence. So, that’s one we’ll show.”
Georgia has had a number of driving-related arrests in recent years dating back to the end of the 2022 season. Shortly after Georgia won the national championship, offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy died in a car accident in the hours after the team’s championship celebration in Athens.
At SEC media days in July, Silverfield did share that he had reached out to Smart after the Arkansas coach made those remarks in 2025.
“When it happened, listen, I’ve got the deepmost respect for Kirby Smart and the Georgia athletic department and everything that he’s about,” Silverfield said. “Obviously, he’s done it at a high level, so certainly a lot of respect for him. When it occurred, I reached out to him. He’s always been great to me, even at my time at Memphis. He allowed us to come be a part of the camps. I think he knew that it was no ill will. Listen, I’ve got a lot of respect for him and what they’re doing.”
Clemson transfer returns home in stride with Georgia defense
Barnes is enjoying the “full circle” moment of returning to his home community to play for Georgia after playing his first three seasons at Clemson.
Barnes represented himself like the proven veteran player he has become in making his first appearance before the media as a member of the Bulldogs.
It was already obvious what Smart saw in Barnes on the field to make him one of only nine incoming transfers, but hearing the Clemson transfer speak revealed the character the UGA coach identified as well.
“It’s been a blessing. The story is crazy how you come back full circle, and be back living where my whole family is from …,” said Barnes, who attended North Oconee High School, less than 13 miles from where he stood behind the podium in Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall on Monday.
The 5-star Davis, who plays at Cartersville, is rated as the nation’s No. 5 wide receiver and the No. 23 overall prospect for 2027 on the 247Sports Composite.
He’d been in the Georgia locker room and made his way to Dooley Field from the same west end zone tunnel that would soon be shrouded in smoke as the Dawgs took the field.
As he walked out, Georgia receivers coach James Coley was at his side. Both were smiling. The junior wide receiver then headed to where Georgia’s receivers were warming up. He had a quick chat with former northwest Georgia high school star Sacovie White-Helton.
Those two have trained together.
“He’s so quick,” Davis said this spring. “In and out. He’s the quickest guy I’ve ever been around.”
Davis made a stop to the other side of the field, where Georgia’s tight ends were getting ready. That’s when he had a word with freshman Kaiden Prothro. The two shared a quick word while Prothro juggled tennis balls.
He knows several other players on the UGA roster, including promising freshman wide receiver Craig Dandridge and the Luckie brothers.
“Had a great time,” Davis said. “I enjoyed watching the versatility of the offense and how they spread the ball around.”
The 5-foot-11 junior was smiling throughout the visit. He also got a chance to see fellow Nike NIL athlete Jaxon Dollar. Davis got to hang out with the 5-star tight end from North Carolina when the two competed at the Nike Opening last summer.
Davis was a fan of the new UGA uniform scheme.
“That all-white was CLEAN,” he told DawgNation.
The No. 3 junior prospect in Georgia said Coley’s message was simple: “Keep working.”
That shouldn’t be too hard. Davis is in the midst of a monster season that fits a recruit ranked among the nation’s top 25 players in the 2028 class. “Oxx” is averaging 30.5 yards per catch this fall. His 14 catches have gone for 427 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Georgia will face serious competition in this process. Ohio State has always had his full attention. Deservedly so, for the way the program has spammed first-round receivers to the NFL. His father was from Ohio, so he also grew up a Buckeyes fan.
“Everybody’s going to play the same number of away games,” Smart said. “Everybody’s going to play the same number of home games, for the most part, within one or two. You have to navigate that. It’s certainly challenging. I wouldn’t like it either. It’s a tough situation to be in.”
