Kirby Smart on Georgia football Orange Bowl opt-outs, status of Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey

Roughly 95 hours before kick off for Saturday’s Orange Bowl, the Georgia football team touched down Tuesday evening at Miami International Airport for a game that matches the highest ranked non-playoff teams.

Opt-outs and transfers have gutted rosters this bowl season, especially No. 5 and unbeaten Florida State.

Sixth-ranked Georgia has felt roster attrition as well with 18 scholarship players going into the transfer portal or announcing plans to do that, but coach Kirby Smart said speaking after getting off the team plane here that the Bulldogs weren't having opt-out when it comes to guys not injured.

"Right now we've got our guys that are healthy playing," Smart said. "Guys that are completely healthy and cleared to play, they've all said they're going to play. They've been practicing, doing everything. We do have guys dinged up and injured that have been trying to fight their way back. We'll see if they can go or not in the game."

More: From Gator to Bulldog: Georgia football adds Florida running back Trevor Etienne

More: Georgia football program tracker: Player movement, staff changes and other news

Those injured players include a pair of projected first-round draft picks in tight end Brock Bowers and offensive tackle Amarius Mims, who missed games this season after TightRope surgery for a high ankle sprain.

Mims left the SEC championship game with an ankle injury.

Is Brock Bowers playing for Georgia football in the Orange Bowl?

Smart said Bowers has been with the team, but he sounded like Bowers, who expected to declare for the NFL draft, won't play.

Smart said "it's more important that he's 100 percent healthy. You know, the guy probably played earlier than he should have. He came out there and competed his butt off and did everything he can for Georgia, but he's not 100 percent. So that makes that a little hard to do."

Wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who was held out of the Georgia Tech game with an ankle injury and was still affected by the injury in the SEC title game, will try to go.

"Ladd wants to play," Smart said. "Ladd's missed some games and hasn't been able to play in some games. He's still coming off an injury from the SEC championship game that he was not 100 percent from, but he's out there every day at practice, taking reps, catching punts. He's done a lot of good things. ... I expect Ladd to be ready to go."

Junior safety Javon Bullard, wearing a Georgia letterman's jacket and cap, said he's playing in the game even though he's weighing whether to declare for the draft.

"Yeah, I'm playing, I want to start what I finish," Bullard said. "As far as (NFL) decisions, it will be said when things are said. I don't really want to speak on that. For this game, I'm all in and I'm playing and I'm going to finish it out with the guys."

Bullard said on whether he'll turn pro: "I feel like it will hit me when it hits me."

Cornerback Kamari Lassiter and offensive lineman Xavier Truss and Tate Ratledge were spotted on Tuesday and are on the trip.

Senior center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger said he’s all in on playing.

“There wasn’t a decision I had to make,” he said. “This is the last opportunity to be with my brothers so I want to enjoy it. ... You have one more opportunity to put it on the line, why not?

Florida State has had a slew of opt-outs including this week Tate Rodemaker, who was set to start Saturday for an injured Jordan Travis at quarterback. Rodemaker is entering the transfer portal.

"We've taken the approach, it's not about them, it's about us," Smart said. "We're trying to play to our standard. We're always trying to play to our standard."

UGA defense to face Florida State QB Brock Glenn

True freshman Brock Glenn will start for the Seminoles.

“Definitely excited to see him take the step from his first start to his second start,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said of Glenn who started in the 16-6 ACC Championship win over Florida State. “A lot of confidence in what he'll be able to do, what he'll be able to accomplish. It’s part of the new age of college athletics.”

Georgia practiced on campus Tuesday morning and will practice starting Wednesday at Barry University in Miami Shores where it also worked out before the Orange Bowl in 2021. Vanderbilt transfer London Humphreys, since he's already enrolled at Georgia, is with the team this week, Smart said.

"Our guys have been great," Smart said. "We've had really good practices the last few days. Practices have been a lot better since we came back. We've got a lot of mid-years here. I'm excited to see these guys go play."

Florida State held their first practice in South Florida Tuesday morning at Nova Southeastern University in Davie after arriving on Christmas night.

Those practices two years ago were abruptly closed due to “COVID concerns.”

Interviews before that game against Michigan were moved to virtual after a surge of the omicron variant.

This year, both teams will meet media members Wednesday and Thursday at a hotel in Dania Beach. Six Georgia defensive players, defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann and assistant head coach/tight ends coach Todd Hartley are on tap for Wednesday morning with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, run game coordinator/running backs coach Dell McGee and six offensive players are slated for Thursday morning.

There are bowl activities as usual for Georgia.

There’s a beach outing Wednesday afternoon in Miami Beach and dinner Thursday at Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão.

Former Georgia coach Mark Richt will be on the scene Saturday for the ACC Network for a two-hour pre-game show starting at 2 p.m. Richt just was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for a career that included 15 years heading up the Bulldogs, but he was offensive coordinator for Florida State before then.

Richt has close ties to former assistants Kirby Smart, Todd Hartley, Bryan McClendon and Stacy Searels who are on the Georgia staff.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Why Georgia football won't have many opt-outs for Orange Bowl