Georgia football suffered a massive blow late in fall camp when they lost freshman running back Zamir White to an ACL tear. How does this impact the Bulldogs?
A year removed from a trip to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game expectations remain high in Athens, Georgia. The road to returning to the Playoff got harder with an unexpected injury to one of their young stars.
During the 14th practice and second team scrimmage of the Georgia Bulldog’s training camp, potential star freshman Zamir White tore his ACL, leaving him out for the season. White injured his left knee while covering a punt in Saturday’s practice. White was a highly recruited running back out of Laurinburg, North Carolina, who was set to contribute significantly in a run heavy offense.
Zamir White tore his right ACL last November at the end of his senior high school season. This comes as a big blow to the Georgia Bulldogs. White had been so impressive this fall, many believed he would likely be able to fill the absence of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel in the backfield. However now with ACL tears in both knees, White’s future and ability to stay healthy may be in question.
Depth at Running Back
Well, we don’t really know how much depth there really is for the Bulldogs. We know that they are talented athletes who play the running back position, but we don’t know how viable of an option they are against SEC defenses.
There are two juniors, Brian Herrian and Elijah Holyfield, who have some game experience, and plenty of time within the program. Additionally, there is sophomore D’Andre Swift and redshirt sophomore, Prather Hudson. Swift leads the current cadre of running backs in yards and Hudson played in every game last year as a special teamer. Lastly, the Bulldogs have freshman James Cook. Cook and White looked to be the future of Georgia running backs.
It appears that the rushing attack will be by committee for Georgia…at least in the beginning of the season. Regardless, Georgia will have no real issue sustaining a dominant running game. Why? Because with the offensive line Georgia is putting up front, the running lanes will be wide open.
Lastly, Georgia has a schedule that can facilitate the identification of the top rushers for the team within the first four games. The Bulldogs play Austin Peay, South Carolina, Middle Tennessee State, and Missouri, in that order. The games against Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee will allow for a good rotation of backs, and the South Carolina and Mizzou games will confirm who will get the bulk of the carries later on in the season.
Note on ACL Tears
Zamir White’s ACL tear was not due to contact. White was simply running down the field to cover the punt while being shadowed by a blocker on the return team when the injury occurred. Year after year we hear about these “freak accidents” where players have season ending ACL tears with out even being touched. Well, they aren’t all actually “freak accidents”. There is a lot that can cause an ACL tear.
ACLs get torn when a player plants their foot and attempts to change direction, but the ligament on the outside of the leg is overstretched. And when the ACL is gone, the player can still walk off the field, and even run straight if necessary. However, they have no lateral movement.
One of the biggest causes of ACL injuries is turf fields. As of the 2013 season, 65 percent of college football fields are artificial grass. These fields do not have the “give” when a player makes a cut like grass fields do. Therefore, it is possible a player’s foot gets stuck while planting and the ACL moves outside of its normal motion and tears.
Nearly every college team gives its players two types of cleats to wear. One for grass and one for turf. However, not every team can practice on grass if they’re playing on a grass field that week. Therefore, players do not break in their grass cleats and do not wear them on gameday. Turf cleats have longer spikes which will dig deeper in the grass when a player makes a cut. Again, the foot can get stuck in the grass and damage the ACL.
Lastly, fatigue and off season conditioning plays a large role in the prevention of ACL tears. Obviously, at the end of training camp, players are tired and more susceptible to injury. However, the type of offseason conditioning plays a role in strengthening the ACL. Doing straight-away sprints, like a 40-yard spring, may get the players in shape, but does nothing to condition the ACL, nor is it practical for football players other than wide receivers.
Players need to condition for position specific movements and the changing of direction in the offseason in order to prepare for the types of movements that are done in football. Many old-school strength and conditioning coaches do not hold workouts that focus primarily on the changing of direction, which leaves their players at risk, especially in times of significant fatigue, like the end of the season or training camp. The details of White’s situation are fuzzy, but the net effect is one less weapon for the Bulldogs this fall.