After being removed from a season-opening game win against Appalachian State on Saturday, Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason will sit out of the Bulldog’s Week 2 matchup at Notre Dame. Freshman Jake Fromm will continue to fill in for Eason and will get his first collegiate start this weekend in South Bend.
Eason has been diagnosed with a sprained ligament in his left knee, but will not need to have surgery, according to head coach Kirby Smart.
Georgia QB Jacob Eason has sprained ligament in left knee. Won't need surgery. "He'll be back from it. He'll be back this year," Smart siad.
— Mark Schlabach (@Mark_Schlabach) September 4, 2017
Eason was hit out of bounds by an Appalachian State defender in the first quarter of Saturday’s season opener in Athens. The play resulted in a late hit out of bounds penalty on the Mountaineers, but the penalty seemed to really be against the Bulldogs with their star quarterback trying to stay in the game only to fall to the ground and require medical attention before being taken out of the game for good.
VIDEO OF JACOB EASON HURT AFTER LATE HIT #UGA #AppState pic.twitter.com/TXQxZ3AuFP
— #Safemoon #DOGE #BTC 🚀👨🚀 (@TheNayborz) September 2, 2017
Fromm performed well in his emergency relief for Georgia, completing 10-of-15 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown on a day that saw Georgia’s running game lead the way to a 31-10 victory. Now, From will be the starter for the Georgia Bulldogs and his first start will come inside Notre Dame Stadium. Georgia’s running game should continue to be the focus of the offense anyway, but how Fromm handles playing in this environment will be something to watch as Georgia looks to go 2-0.
It is unknown how long Eason will be unavailable, and for how long Fromm will remain the starter. Fromm may be in a position to keep the job even if Eason is later medically cleared to play for the Bulldogs, but if Georgia struggles in Eason’s absence, then Fromm may turn the job back over to a healthy Eason if and when that time comes.