Parrish out 2-4 weeks for the Bulldogs

Senior cornerback Malkom Parrish is out of action for the Georgia Bulldogs, but he may not be out that long.

Parrish recently suffered a broken bone in his foot that will sideline him for two to four weeks, according to second-year coach Kirby Smart.

“He has not been ruled out for the opener,” Smart said after Saturday’s second preseason scrimmage. “We’ll see how it goes. He had surgery to repair it, and hopefully he’ll be back as soon as possible. We haven’t changed anything other than it’s put a priority on getting more corners ready to play.

“It’s not doomsday. We’re not sitting around here crying, but it’s not a position we’re deep at right now.”

Parrish has started 25 of 26 games the past two seasons, totaling 91 tackles with 7.5 tackles for loss and four interceptions.

The Bulldogs’ first-team secondary Saturday consisted of Deandre Baker and Aaron Davis as the cornerbacks, Dominick Sanders and freshman Richard LeCounte as the safeties and Tulsa transfer J.R. Reed as the nickel. Tyrique McGhee came in when Georgia employed six defensive backs.

Georgia’s scrimmage contained roughly 130 plays, and Smart liked what he saw compared to the first one.

“The enthusiasm and desire to practice was much better,” he said. “We saw better energy on both sides of the ball. They played harder longer. They really pushed today. It was hot, but it didn’t look like it affected them.

“It was a little sloppy at times with penalties. We had some offside penalties and some cadence issues. Penalties were the most glaring thing that stuck out as far as a negative.”

Smart said quarterbacks Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm were more accurate Saturday than a week earlier, and the offensive line continues to have senior Isaiah Wynn as the first-team left tackle and freshman Andrew Thomas as the first-team right tackle. The coach added that Wynn is the most valuable piece to the front and that he comes out in practices so the coaches can see what could be done in his absence.

There is no timetable for announcing a starting five.

“It’s not about naming a starting offensive line,” Smart said. “That’s not really what’s important. What’s important is how the starting offensive line plays and how many reps can we get them in the right spots.”

When asked about Thomas remaining with the first team the last several days, Smart said, “He’s extremely mature.”

Jackson commits

The Bulldogs picked up their 12th commitment for the 2018 signing class Saturday, collecting a nonbinding pledge from four-star receiver Kearis Jackson of Fort Valley, Ga. The 6-foot, 203-pound Jackson is rated by 247Sports.com as the nation’s No. 26 receiver and No. 127 prospect overall.

Georgia’s crop of commitments is ranked 24th by 247Sports after being ranked 60th last month.

Odds and ends

Smart said determining who plays on special teams among the three freshman linebackers and the six freshman defensive backs will be a key to the upcoming week. … He does not plan to start focusing on Appalachian State until Thursday or Friday. … When asked Saturday about the specialists, Smart said Columbia grad transfer Cameron Nizialek continues to lead Marshall Long at punter, Rodrigo Blankenship has stepped forward in the kickoff role and Blankenship and Wofford grad transfer David Marvin remain in a tight race for the place-kicking chores.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.