The Georgia Bulldogs received unfortunate news on Wednesday when it was confirmed that safety Jakar Hamilton would most likely miss the entire 2011 season because of the two stress fractures near his right ankle discovered by a recent MRI. Dawgs 24/7 first reported the story earlier Wednesday afternoon, citing a source close to the team. On Wednesday evening, head coach Mark Richt confirmed the disappointing news:
"My guess is he won't play this year. He does have the opportunity to redshirt."
"He's been having some issues," Richt added, "and you really couldn't locate exactly what it was. One day it was one spot. One day it was another. We finally did a bone scan on it and realized it was something in there we couldn't detect otherwise. ...
"He was a very good special teams and he was also competing for downs as a safety..."
Hamilton, a senior, was initially diagnosed with a hamstring injury this offseason. Something was clearly not right, but there was little reason to think that his ability to play in 2011 was in jeopardy. Hamilton, who was expected to compete for one of the Dawgs' two starting safety spots, has the option of redshirting this year and completing his eligibility in 2012.
For more Georgia football news and discussion leading up to the September 3rd home opener against Boise State, please visit Dawg Sports.