Amarius Mims essentially claims Georgia would have another natty if not for one thing

After destroying it at the NFL Scouting Combine this past weekend, all eyes are on Amarius Mims being one of the first offensive linemen taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. Mims may not have banked a ton of starts at Georgia, but he was the most talented lineman on the team over the last year or so. He projects as one of three or four first-round picks out of Georgia this spring. One of two that are locks.

While speaking to the NFL media at the podium during the combine, Mims hinted that had he been fully healthy for the 2023 SEC Championship Game vs. Alabama that Georgia would have three-peated as national champions. It was the Dawgs' worst game in two years since losing the 2021 SEC Championship Game ... to Alabama, when Mims was a freshman. The Dawgs only lost by three points.

Mims explained how getting hurt early in the game changed the entire dynamic of the SEC title bout.

“It wasn’t my proudest game, honestly. I went down, I want to say, play 12. I wish I could have finished the game with my guys. We fell up short, but like I said, if I could go back to that game, I wish I wouldn’t have got bumped up on my ankle again. But, like I said, if we were 100 percent healthy, it would have been a different outcome in that game, honestly.”

Mims only played 12 offensive plays before getting pulled due to injury. This forced Xavier Truss out to right guard. Micah Morris then took over at left guard for Truss, before eventually giving way to Dylan Fairchild. It was in the trenches where the Crimson Tide got the best of Georgia once again...

Amarius Mims says his injury cost Georgia the Dawgs the three-peat

I actually watched this game in-person. Yes, the entire dynamic of the ballgame changed once Mims went out due to injury. We didn't know it at the time, but it really complicated things for Mike Bobo in terms of play-calling, as well as Carson Beck running the offense under center. So many changes along the offensive line made it rather difficult for Georgia to run the ball for the better part of the day.

In all fairness, this was a battle between two evenly-matched teams. Georgia was slightly more talented, but Alabama did a better job of creating its own luck. It was a poorly officiated game across the board, as both the Dawgs and the Tide got screwed by the officials on multiple occasions. Mims is absolutely right that a healthier ankle would have provided a different outcome, but that is we play.

While I don't know if Georgia would have for sure beaten Alabama that Saturday, the Dawgs would have won the College Football Playoff for the third time in a row had they made it in. The entire team would have been healthier. I would have picked Georgia to beat every team who made the playoff. Michigan would have been the toughest challenge, but the Dawgs matched up better than Alabama.

You can't blame an entire season on an injury, but Mims getting hurt vs. Alabama was such bad timing.