UGA freshman TE Lawson Luckie suffered a high ankle injury last Saturday during UGA’s first scrimmage of fall camp. Now the timeline for his return is becoming clearer. 

Sources told DawgsCentral earlier in the week that Luckie was in a protective boot and not practicing due to the injury. Radi Nabulsi of UGA Sports first reported Luckie’s absence from Georgia’s practice on Tuesday. Luckie was scheduled to have surgery on Wednesday. That news was first reported by Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald and later confirmed to DawgsCentral.

The timeline for Luckie’s recovery remained unknown, but DawgsCentral has now learned that Luckie is expected to be out 2-4 weeks before returning to action. 

The 2-4 week window lines up with the normal anticipated recovery time for football players who undergo a tightrope procedure to repair a high ankle sprain, but it has not been confirmed that Luckie underwent this exact procedure. 

A high ankle sprain occurs when ligaments and tissues around the tibia and fibula are loosened and become unstable. The tightrope procedure gained national attention in 2019 after Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa returned from a high-ankle sprain suffered against Tennessee on October 19th and threw for 412 yards in a loss to LSU just 3 weeks. 

In the past, athletes could often need 6-12 weeks to return to action after a high ankle sprain. With tightrope fixation, surgeons run a suture through small holes in the bone, fasten it with small metal buttons, and then tighten it similarly to a zip tie.

It is worth noting that the recovery time for a high ankle sprain can vary greatly even if a player gets the tightrope surgery. Luckie’s anticipated window is 2-4 weeks, but the time frame could be longer depending on how his rehab unfolds. 

Luckie signed in Georgia’s 2023 recruiting class and enrolled early last December. He was rated as the nation’s #2 TE by recruiting industry composite rankings. Though only a freshman, many expect Luckie to play a significant role in UGA’s offense due to the loss of Darnell Washington and the Bulldogs’ frequent use of multiple TE sets. 

Stay tuned to DawgsCentral for more.