Kirby Smart makes heartbreaking admission amid injury update on key Georgia player

Kirby Smart and the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs are gearing up for their final road game of the 2025 NCAA season. With a matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on the horizon, Smart provided his program with a deflating injury update on key players.

Defensive lineman Jordan Hall exited the Bulldogs’ 24-20 victory over the Florida Gators with a knee injury. The 6’4” junior was unable to return to the field, and Smart is now admitting Hall will be out of the lineup for a longer time in college football.

“Jordan [Hall] will be out for some time,” Smart admitted during his press conference per On3. “Not sure how long, but he’ll be out for some time. Jordan is a tough one because that kid’s been through a lot injury-wise. He fought to get back last year by the end of the year and he wasn’t even 100% healthy then.

“Then he had a good offseason and was really leading and competing and playing well for us. Just a tough injury for him to sustain and we’ll see what the timeline is once we know more later today and tomorrow.”

Stats

So far in the 2025 college football season, Hall registers 12 total tackles (3 solo and 9 assisted) in 8 outings. His best game of the year was during Georgia’s 24-21 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. That game brings back troubling memories to the Dawgs, who watched their 33-win home streak come to an end. However, Hall had the best outing of his NCAA career with 4 tackles, including one for loss (TFL).

Though Hall’s numbers are far from eye-popping, the former five-star recruit out of Jacksonville has become an important piece of the puzzle for Smart and the Dawgs. As Georgia looks to keep its four-game win streak alive, the team must find a way to fill the void left by his absence on the defensive line.

Dawgs vs Dogs

Georgia can’t make the mistake of overlooking their upcoming visit to Mississippi State in Starkville. It can be easy for the Dawgs to get carried away as they are set to face the No. 13 Texas Longhorns in two weeks. However, in the SEC, the school in Athens can’t afford any misstep.

In order to make the SEC Championship Game, Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC) will most likely need to win out, and hope for Alabama (7-1, 5-0 conference) or Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0) to stumble at some stage over the upcoming home stretch of the NCAA season. It’s plausible, but Smart and his program must first take care of business when walking into Davis Wade Stadium, where no SEC program has lost since November 2022—when the Auburn Tigers fell 39-33 in overtime.