Georgia football’s Kirby Smart speaks on injured WR, TE ahead of Sugar Bowl

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NEW ORLEANS — Two offensive players who have been sidelined for a lengthy period for No. 3-seeded Georgia football have been removed from the injury report.

Wide receiver Colbie Young, who broke his leg during the Oct. 18 game against Ole Miss in Athens, and tight end Ethan Barbour, who injured his ankle during Week 2, were both listed as probable on the initial report Monday, Dec. 29.

The removal of their names Tuesday indicates they are cleared to play in Thursday’s Sugar Bowl vs. Ole Miss.

But just how much field time will they see?

“They’ve both been practicing a while now, they’ve both been working their way back,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said during a press conference on Wednesday morning.

Smart on Barbour: “There were really critical parts earlier in the season for him. Tight end is a position we have good depth at. He’s very attentive, wise beyond his years. He was at our practices last year for this game and we already knew, wow, this guy’s going to be able to pick things up quick. He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s physical. We’re excited to have him back and hopefully he can help in some capacity, but you only get so many tight ends on the field in so many ways, and we’ve got some guys playing well there already.”

Smart on Young: “He has done a great job coming back. … I didn’t think he would be back before the end of the season, regardless of how far our season went. He’s sped that process up. He wants to play. It’s important to him. He’s missed time and he wants to get back out there and compete, but we’ll have to see how he looks game day and what he’s able to do.”

Five other players are listed as out, including Gabe Harris (turf toe), Drew Bobo (foot), Jordan Hall (knee), Kyron Jones (foot) and Joenel Aguero (wrist).

The Sugar Bowl will kick off at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Caesars Superdome on ESPN.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football’s Kirby Smart updates status of Colbie Young, Ethan Barbour

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