Riley Ridley is cleared to play as cast continues to get smaller

Photo: Steven Colquitt/UGA

Riley Ridley’s recovery process has gone quicker than expected.

Ridley was first seen wearing a cast on his arm last Thursday, and the support has gotten significantly smaller. Tuesday, the cast looked to be smaller and more wrap-like, according to a practice report from Jason Butt of The Telegraph and macon.com. Just one day prior, the injury support was covering both his hand and wrist.

The original expectation was that Ridley had sustained a broken hand injury, but it is of the lesser severity. Fortunately for the freshman wide receiver, he broke only the lower part of his thumb ten days ago. Head coach Kirby Smart said Ridley had some screws placed in his thumb recently, and has been cleared to play.

At this time, it’s a test to see if Ridley can tolerate the pain that may come with the workload of game action. However, he is cleared and playing at Mississippi on Saturday is a possibility.

“We hope he’s ready to go,” Smart said during Tuesday’s post-practice press conference.

Ridley did see intermittent action in the season opener against North Carolina, but did not play against Nicholls State due to a separate ankle injury.

Other practice notes, according to reports from Butt and Seth Emerson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

• After rotating for the first three games, senior defensive back Quincy Mauger was seen with the first-team after tallying two interceptions at Missouri. Junior Aaron Davis was running with the second-team.

• Defensive back Tim Hill was not seen at practice for a second consecutive day, Smart said Monday that Hill sustained an injury last Saturday. The senior had assumed a special teams role.

• Jacob Eason had been Georgia’s starting holder for the first three games of the season, but junior quarterback and punter Brice Ramsey was seen rehearsing those duties on Tuesday.