Kirby Smart addresses Xzavier McLeod departure, impact on Georgia defensive line

Georgia football has adjusted to Xzavier McLeod leaving the program for weeks, coach Kirby Smart said, because the defensive lineman only practiced a couple of times this preseason.

Smart revealed that timeline on Wednesday, Sept. 2, ahead of the Bulldogs season opener on Saturday against Tennessee State.

He said McLeod made the decision to stop playing football.

“Xzavier hasn’t been with us since the second practice,” Smart said. “All the news of Xzavier, everybody’s acting like it’s something newly released or something. I think he practiced once or twice because he decided to give it up. He just didn’t want to play football anymore. Certainly respect that.”

McLeod will graduate after this semester, Smart said.

“Our kids have been practicing really hard on the defensive line,” Smart said. “We’ve got a really good group that is exciting to watch and have been doing an exceptional job. Tray (Scott) really pushes that group. They’ve been doing a great job in practice. Probably have as much depth as we’ve had there. I don’t know that we have one dominant player but we’ve got a lot of depth at that position.”

McLeod, a transfer from South Carolina in his third season with the program, started the final six games of last season.

He had 17 tackles, 6 quarterback pressures and 2 pass breakups last season.

Smart said McLeod practiced this spring but didn’t get many reps.

Asked if there were one or two players who could get more snaps with McLeod gone, Smart didn’t name any in particular.

McLeod had the fifth most snaps on the defensive line last season with 272, according to Pro Football Focus.

Georgia returns three of its top four in Gabe Harris, Elijah Griffin and Joseph Jonaye-Ajonye as well as Josh Horton, Jordan Hall and Nnamdi Ogboko.

“If I'm not mistaken, we had 15 practices in the spring where all the guys took all the reps that were spread out pretty evenly,” he said. “And then fall camp, now we’ve had 22 or 23 practices, I’m not sure what number we’re on, where everyone those practices those guys have taken all those reps. I feel good about that room. All of those guys are going to be ready to play.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Kirby Smart addresses Xzavier McLeod departure, impact on Georgia defensive line