Georgia signee Sterling Bailey out 4 to 5 months following shoulder surgery
Another one of Georgia’s 2011 signees is going to be sidelined a while after undergoing surgery.
Bailey
Sterling Bailey, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end from East Hall High School, underwent shoulder surgery on March 8 and will out of action for four to five months, his father confirmed. Bailey suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder in the third game of the football season last fall but played through the injury in both football and basketball.
“He’ll go to Georgia as planned in June and he should be able to run drills by July,” Kevin Bailey said. “He’ll probably be in a green [non-contact] jersey when they start practice in August.”
So why wait until now to go under the knife?
“We were actually planning on doing it in January after the Army All-American Game, but Sterling wanted to play basketball,” Mr. Bailey said. “He had already played in several [basketball] games by then and didn’t want to quit on his teammates. We got with Coach [Mark] Richt and Coach [Todd] Grantham about it and they were very understanding. They said ‘no problem.’ So he played basketball until they got knocked out in the Elite Eight and he had surgery the next Tuesday.”
Of course, missing out on some summer workouts and contact during the preseason will likely put Bailey on a path toward a redshirt season.
“It all depends on how quick it heals and how he adapts to it,” Kevin Bailey said. “But it will be three or four games down the road before that’s decided. If he gets redshirted, that’ll be OK. The important thing is he gets well so he can play football like he knows he can play.”
Bailey became the eighth prospect to commit to the Bulldogs when he pledged the class last May. He was rated a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and a three-star prospect by Scout.com and chose UGA over Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Bailey is the second member of the 2011 recruiting class to undergo major surgery. Offensive tackle Xzavier Ward of Colquitt County had knee surgery to repair a torn ACL in February and is already resigned to a redshirt year.
NOTE: Just returning to work this morning after a short spring vacation. So the Ten@10 will resume tomorrow and I’m planning to resurrect the AJC Recruiting Mailbag for this Friday. I need your help to get The Mailbag started off right. So please email me questions to AJCrecruiting@yahoo.com.
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126 comments Add your comment
gdawginkalamazoo
March 16th, 2011
1:17 pm
Chip, thanks for setting Roll Tide straight on the OL “problems” Richt is having.
D A DoubleU G
March 16th, 2011
1:18 pm
And get well soon Sterling!
DGD!!!
dawgster
March 16th, 2011
1:25 pm
@Chip, great follow-up info to “Tide Roll’…I think the dawgs get things turned around on the O-line this season and next…go dawgs
WIN WITH RICHT
March 16th, 2011
1:30 pm
Tide Roll
Georgia produces 10 to 15 high school offensive linemen annually that sign with either SEC or ACC schools. UGA cannot possibly all of them, so there are always good ones slipping to other schools.Also, UGA manages to snag quite a few out of staters themselves. EX. Benedict, the Longs, Sturdivant, Ben Jones, and the Theus brothers
D A DoubleU G
March 16th, 2011
1:34 pm
In “Tide Roll the Troll”s mind, UGA should sign ALL players worth of Div 1 in the state of Georgia.
Under this premise, could you imagine how pathetic Bammer would be if they only signed players from Alabama…….
The Georgia State Zoo (Alabama) would be NOTHING without a fine, fine state like the Peach State.
GLORY, GLORY!!
1eyedJack
March 16th, 2011
1:36 pm
If you notice, tide roll is only concerned about black offensive linemen. He has his agenda.
RRTDawgs
March 16th, 2011
1:37 pm
2013 QB Brice Ramsey has UGA on top also looks like Lenard Floyd will be dawg i think we are in good shape with John Theus smart by Richt to get his brother .
Egbert
March 16th, 2011
1:41 pm
Chip, Kenarious Gates is not a 2 year starter; he played so well as a true Freshman last year that it just seemed that way.
dawgster
March 16th, 2011
1:42 pm
Nice call “1eyedjack”..been saying that about his agenda for sometime now…kind of pathetic that he wants to bring that kind of thinking to the conversation….go dawgs
@RRTDawgs…Ramsey will be a dawg, you can pretty much bank on that…He’s only going to get better the next two years in my opinion….go dawgs
so freakin tired of garcia
March 16th, 2011
1:43 pm
praying that connor shaw has a great spring and takes the reins in Columbia. Garcia is a talented guy with no discipline or work ethic.
signed
frustrated chicken
MarkLG
March 16th, 2011
1:46 pm
Dawgster, Tideroll is attcking our depth on the OL because they are WHITE players. Chris Mayes is a BLACK player. He has the same message on every blog, most people try to ignore his type.
dawgster
March 16th, 2011
1:47 pm
@tired of Garcia….somewhat surprised at Spurrier and why he keeps him on the team…How many strikes does the guy get…but again I’m not privy to details so I can only base my opinion on what I read. That being said, I think Shaw is a good QB, but not an elite QB that will scare a lot of defenses in my opinion…go dawgs
UGAgrad71
March 16th, 2011
1:48 pm
I hope the weight gains for some players on the O-line found on the 2001 spring roster is correct. I also hope the weight gains tranfer into extra strength, and that the O-line will not be pushed around in the second half of games.Royce Smith at 6′3″ and 245 pounds seems so little today. Good luck to all the players and coaches this year.
UGAgrad71
March 16th, 2011
1:49 pm
my bad 2011
dawgster
March 16th, 2011
1:51 pm
MarkLG….I’ve known that about “Tide Roll” for sometime, and have commented on it many, many times.. I rarely respond to him anyway especially when he brings that kind of stuff to the table. I also have found it best to ignore him for the most part, but sometimes he needs to hear imput from others letting him no how little respect he has on these blogs…go dawgs
McDawg
March 16th, 2011
1:52 pm
our O-line depth has been a problem for the past 3yrs
will Stripling be out for spring?-time for J.Longo to step up
Tide Roll
March 16th, 2011
1:55 pm
You guys have potentially the most talented offensive line in the Conference in Sturdivant (6′5″ 310), Gates (6′5″ 330). Burnette (6′3″ 310), Anderson (6′5″ 350), and Glenn (6′6″ 340). After that, not so much. Your concern should lie with graduation losses from 2010, and after this year (Sturdivant, Anderson and Glenn,) along with the 9th rated offensive line class in the Conference by Rivals. Ward has a future, possibly Mayes, but losing Cedar’s Grove’s Brandon Greene to us really hurts.Carpenter,Rokevious Watkins, and Jason Peacock are all Juco Ol(s), from Georgia that are really helping the competition. Uga could take a lesson from Saban, Spurrier, and Petrino. These guys rcognize talent in these JUCO(s) and the instant help they bring to an Offesive line.
JDawg1785
March 16th, 2011
1:55 pm
Good luck with everything, Sterling! Looking forward to seeing you tear it up on the field come September!
McDawg
March 16th, 2011
2:05 pm
nothing Tide Rolls says regarding our O-Line and depth issues is incorrect
and i think B. Jones needs to step up b/c our Center/Guard play was horrible last year
Tide Roll
March 16th, 2011
2:12 pm
THANKS McDAWG
D A DoubleU G
March 16th, 2011
2:14 pm
Tide Roll……
I conveniently forget that UGA leads for THIS 5 star O-Linemen in this upcoming class…… check him out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC8X_hI3ypw
D A DoubleU G
March 16th, 2011
2:14 pm
*You conveniently forget……
WIN WITH RICHT
March 16th, 2011
2:17 pm
Turd Roll
Most of UGA’s O linemen were offered by everbody in the SEC. Guys like Benedict, Long, Anderson, Sturdivant, Harmon, Glenn, etc. could have easily signed with Bama or Florida, but they chose to be DAWGS instead!!!
guy
March 16th, 2011
2:18 pm
On Chip’s reply to wdm: Go get em boy! I like that fire in the belly.
Tide Roll
March 16th, 2011
2:22 pm
You guys need to read Chip’s article on Brandon Greene (6′6′ 330 lb.) OT headed to Bama, especially Coach Ray Bonner’s comments. Unbeleivable talent. It’s decisions such as these, i.e. Chance Warmack, Jujuan James, Ed Christian, etc. that are really hurting Uga.
Festus
March 16th, 2011
2:34 pm
Really, Chip, the AJC seems to take pleasure in reporting negative stuff about UGA – that can’t be denied. Sometimes even taking a positive and putting negative spin on it. Did this start with Terrance Moore? Thank goodness he’s gone. Not asking for blind homerism, just saying ……
RRTDawgs
March 16th, 2011
2:36 pm
I agree with most of the post on tide roll’s comments it has nothing to with race when recruiting black O line or white O line players you get the athlete that fits your system has nothing to with race and it should not be tide roll should no better .
RRTDawgs
March 16th, 2011
2:43 pm
What a shock someone has stolen my name again i love it that shows how insecure that person is way to go tide roll get a life dude
Tide Roll
March 16th, 2011
2:44 pm
I swear i am not McDawg. He does, however, recognize the truth.
RRTDawgs
March 16th, 2011
2:49 pm
I can see why Lowndes 25 has left this blog because the immature jerks you get on here i am out of here .
1eyedJack
March 16th, 2011
2:52 pm
Whoever you are you’re a Neanderthal.
GStateBen
March 16th, 2011
2:57 pm
“No Problem” from Richt and Grantham means he’ll take a RS. He will lose a ton of upper body strength while he is out and will not be clear for summer workouts. Freshman Defensive Ends rarely contribute immediately.
DawginLex
March 16th, 2011
3:00 pm
Tide Roll is a black racist.
He doesn’t think a white player should EVER play offensive line.
I guess that is why Hampton and Winston Salem State and Jackson State and Fort Valley State are consistently turning out NFL linemen.
What a freaking joke
rocketfuel
March 16th, 2011
3:08 pm
Not to hard to set Tide Roll straight.I am sure the family tree goes straight up on this assclown anyway.,
RRTDawgs
March 16th, 2011
3:09 pm
I just say this can’t we all just get along and don’t be hating this suppose to be a recruiting blog and not a political blog there are a lot of real good O Linemen out there and should not be about black and white period .
Paddy
March 16th, 2011
3:10 pm
Birds Nest…..don’t know what number he will wear but he has told CMR he likes number 628. He will get it, since it is not being used at this time!
WIN WITH RICHT
March 16th, 2011
3:11 pm
I believe that Turd Roll has lost his freakin mind. I think he needs his prescriptions refilled.
Alabama Jack
March 16th, 2011
3:19 pm
Special to wdm – bite me, dumb delusional dawg. .
wdm
March 16th, 2011
3:27 pm
You are showing your ignorance Chip Towers if you think Auburn is just an out of state school and has no relevance to UGA football or its fans. And if you don’t think any Auburn fans live in Ga, hurry to Emory and get the frontal lobotomy your doctor prescribed last week. But the fact remains the same, AJC will do anything to kick the state teams and let the out of state rivals get a free pass.
Old Dawg
March 16th, 2011
3:30 pm
Jim Tressel: you make a very good point, especially with some of Bill’s posts. His work is primarily a sidebar to the website’s main coverage. When I was in the sports writing business I tried to maintain an even keel with stories and headlines, but times have changed. Newspapers are struggling for readers and advertisers, so the more hits they receive on websites help them attract business and maintain their existence. I don’t like that reality but it is the environment papers are living with.
I usually don’t mind Bill’s copy, though with his post on CMR’s secondary violations it was the perfect case of yellow journalism. Schools slip up with those all the time, and it’s obvious Richt isn’t going out of way to break rules like Kiffin did at UT.
Thanks for the question.
Lee
March 16th, 2011
3:36 pm
Sterling is one tough Son of a gun to play through that type of injury. This is the kind of toughness we’ve been needing. Get well Sterling and we’ll see you on the flipside.
bigtime
March 16th, 2011
3:44 pm
Bad news for this kid. He will surely be redshirted now and I feel like he could’ve contributed to the DAWGS D this fall. He’ll be healed by the time the season starts but with all of the lifting that he will miss there’s no way that he’ll prepared to battle in the SEC every Sat. Roll Tide
Dr Andrews
March 16th, 2011
3:45 pm
Have a shoulder injury? Are you a high school football player? Call UGA and you are
guaranteed a football scholarship.
Amazing how many players my beloved UGA signs that need surgery their freshman year.
Army Dawg back from Iraq
March 16th, 2011
3:46 pm
Good Luck Sterling, you are a class act. Just wondering how this blog went from Sterling’s injury to a Tide Roll side bar.
WnE
March 16th, 2011
3:51 pm
It bother me when HS Recruits don’t understand the BUSINESS that they are entering when they sign a LOI in Feb.
CFB is big business, and since it is, after you sing an LOI the SA, in this case Bailey should drop playing all other HS sports other than Track & Field to concentrate on getting into to “BCS-Level shape” so that they can make a positive impact on their College Team as soon as possible.
Playing HS B-Ball does NOTHING for Bailey in comparison to serious conditioning and hitting the weight room hard, Bailey playing a meaningless HS B-Ball season is akin to Murray playing Soccer in his free time and risking injury.
That HS B-Ball season should have waned in comparison to the importance of getting that shoulder fixed and being able to contribute at ug@ as soon as possible.
Young players need to understand the “mental focus” that it takes to play in a conference like the SEC, spending the rest of your Sr. Yr. “having fun” doesn’t figure into the equation, something that I would hope that his father would have conveyed to him.
WIN WITH RICHT
March 16th, 2011
3:55 pm
Hopefully, Tide Roll is out bothering other people in his trailer park.
7576DAWG
March 16th, 2011
4:07 pm
Tide Roll
CMR will rarely go to the JUCO ranks to fill a need only if he is in dire need , like he was at nose tackle. I think one reason is because you only get these guys for 2 years . But the main reason is it shows no support or confidence in the players already on the team at that position. Every once in a while because of injury or the guy did not fill out enough or he got too big or because of his speed or lack of he is moved to another position.
It’s a hard choice . Some coaches will live or die dipping into the JUCO ranks all the times. CMR choses not to. I see the reason for not doing it as well as doing it.
Bottom line is we get good enough talent from normal recruiting to get the job done. It’s up to the coaches to develop them into top players or it is time to replace the coaches involved.
Score Check
March 16th, 2011
4:19 pm
Would Satan have honored his commitment had Bailey chose them? Probably not. And THATS how he manages his numbers.
LOL
bucket
March 16th, 2011
4:42 pm
@ Chip – generally like your stuff and I don’t expect you to be a UGA homer. However, you missed the point completely on what wdm was saying to you. When something bad happens at other schools the ajc will include a news story about it, but does not allow comments. As Dawg fans we have suffered enough the last couple of years without having to come to the blogs of our homestate newspaper to discuss UGA football and have to endure all the crap from AU, ALA, FLA, GT, TENN, SCU fans also. It’s a free country and fans can troll any sight they wish, but if you won’t allow comments on other team’s problems – why allow them for the homestate teams that are paying your bills? Also, in your effort to describe why UGA loses players to ALA, FLA, AU – you guys never mention the possibilty that negative reporting has on UGA’s recruiting. I understand that you cover what happens, but I have seen Saban and his coaches use this on some of our high school players from my school and the parents are the ones eating up Saban’s slaps @ AJC stories about Richt and UGA.
bucket
March 16th, 2011
4:43 pm
@ Score Check – my guess is that Ward and Bailey would both be looking for new teams if they had committed to Alabama.