MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla.—In the 48 hours before a high-stakes game with major playoff implications last December, both Georgia football coach Kirby Smart and then Alabama coach Nick Saban fielded questions about whether key offensive players would be able to go.
There may be less uncertainty about injured players in the SEC’s future.
The conference is talking about rolling out “availability reports” to provide some consistent answers to information watched closely by those who bet on games.
“It sounds like that’s where we’re going,” Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin said.
It may change what seems a constant lead-up to SEC games.
Before the Georgia played Alabama in the SEC championship game last season, tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Ladd McConkey had missed the previous game due to injuries.
“They have not gotten much practice in during the week,” Smart said the night before the game on the SEC Network. “We haven’t been able to take reps with those guys. They’ll try to go for the game.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart stands on the sideline during the team’s 2024 G-Day Game at Sanford Stadium.
A day earlier Saban addressed leading rusher Jase McClellan’s foot injury.
“He’s not been able to do a lot. I’d say that we’d have to say he’s probably questionable for the game at this point,” Saban said.
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Bowers and McConkey ended up playing but McClellan did not in Alabama’s 27-24 win.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey spoke to coaches this week about the availability reports at the league’s spring meetings, something his staff has looked at since last summer. He said no decision on it is expected this week.
“I did acknowledge it’s a cultural change…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/sec-moving-toward-adopting-injury-184247210.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-05-29 18:42:47
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