Georgia's Kirby Smart would have 'no problem' if SEC orders injury report despite rumors | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

The SEC has not yet made any official announcements regarding mandatory injury reporting during the 2024 season, but comments from Georgia head coach Kirby Smart suggest it will happen soon.

“I've been told that's how it's going to be in conference games,” Smart said Tuesday, according to Seth Emerson of The Athletic. “I'm OK with that as long as we all participate. I have no problem with it.”

There are no conference games for SEC teams in Week 1 of the college football season, so there appears to be no rush to make this happen. However, the first conference game of the season will be in Week 2 between Kentucky and South Carolina.

With the decision potentially coming as early as next week, Smart said he has tasked head coach Ron Courson with putting the decision together for his team.

In 2018, the Big Ten asked the NCAA to consider implementing a national injury reporting system. Although the NCAA ultimately declined, the conference now has its own policy requiring teams to submit an availability report two hours before kickoff.

This is in contrast to the NFL's model, which categorizes players as out, doubtful and questionable, with multiple updates throughout the week before a final report is released on game day.

Smart suggested that the SEC's proposed model could be similar to that of the NFL.

“I think they're going to attach fines and things like that to it and so on,” he said. “Everyone is trying to make a big deal out of it, which is cheating or misleading. If I don't know if a player can play, I have to find out before the game. If he can play, then he's going to go out there and play. But we've had countless players go out there and practice before a game to find out if they can play or not.”

“We follow the rules they give us. They're the same as the NFL. They've been doing this for years. And it takes the pressure off our kids when people try to reach out to them and get information for betting sites. There's no point in having accurate information. So if it protects our kids, I'm all for it.”

The increasing popularity of sports betting means that significantly more people are interested in injury news, especially during important games with larger audiences.

Many of the most important games next season will involve teams from the SEC and Big Ten, and if the Big Ten decides to implement such a rule, they will be the only major conferences with injury reports.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told reporters in May that the league was considering such reports and it seemed only a matter of time before they became reality.