ATHENS, Ga. (AP) Georgia wide receiver Michael Chigbu may give up his final year of eligibility due to undisclosed injuries.
Coach Kirby Smart said Thursday that Chigbu, who has missed recent spring practice sessions, hasn’t made a decision about his future.
”He’s going through some injury things and I don’t know yet what he’s doing,” Smart said. ”He may be thinking about hanging it up, but he has not decided yet.”
Chigbu, who would be a senior in 2018, had nine catches in 12 games, including six starts, in 2016. He had no catches in six games last season but still contributed as a blocker.
If Chigbu took a medical disqualification, he would remain on scholarship but would not count toward the team’s NCAA limit of 85 in 2018.
Meanwhile, Smart said sophomore Chris Barnes has moved from the offensive line to defensive line. A lack of depth on the defensive front could open a clearer path to playing time for Barnes, even though Smart said ”he’s still learning where to line up.”
”I’ll be honest with you, we’re so low on numbers on the defensive line we’re extremely struggling from a depth standpoint,” Smart said. ”We’ve got a lot of guys banged up and injured.”
Smart said Barnes (6-foot-3, 288) is still learning the terminology on defense.
”He’s playing really hard, but he’s got to play with better pad level,” Smart said. ”He’s got to play lower. That’s really on us. We just haven’t got a chance to work with him. He has been very open because he knows it gives him an opportunity to contribute and he’s worked hard at it.”
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