NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Georgia will take on No. 7 Baylor in the Allstate Sugar Bowl (8:45 p.m. ET on ESPN) without the services of graduate safety J.R. Reed. Dawgs247 has confirmed that Reed will not play in the game.

We have been unable to confirm whether or not Reed made the trip with the Bulldogs to The Big Easy, but he was not present in a photo posted by Richard LeCounte III via Twitter earlier in the day. He was one of three UGA scholarship defensive backs not present in that picture. The other two were Divaad Wilson and Tyrique McGhee.

Wilson's Instagram story on Thursday night showed a video of him driving around with a location tag of Atlanta, Georgia.

Reed told reporters at the ESPN College Football Home Depot Awards Show earlier this month that he wouldn't be sitting out the Sugar Bowl.

“The Dawgs are playing, and I’m still a Dawg,” Reed said, per the Athens Banner-Herald's Marc Weiszer.

Kirby Smart met with reporters shortly after the team arrived in New Orleans on Thursday but he refused to comment on any players who were not present. He was asked specifically about senior defensive tackle Tyler Clark and senior running back Brian Herrien and had the same exact quote on each player.

"We're going to focus on the players that are playing in the game," Smart said

That statement indicates that neither of those players will be available for the Sugar Bowl and it also suggests that neither made the trip with the team.

Georgia will also be without junior left tackle Andrew Thomas, redshirt sophomore right tackle Isaiah Wilson, and fourth-year junior right guard Ben Cleveland. Thomas and Wilson have announced that they are leaving school early and entering the 2020 NFL Draft. Neither will participate in the Sugar Bowl so as to protect their professional interests.

Cleveland will miss the game due to academic issues but his father, Derek, told Dawgs247 earlier this month that the plan is for the 6-foot-6 340-pound lineman to return for his final season in Athens.

Reed has started 42 straight games at Georgia dating back to the start of the 2017 season. His UGA career ends with him having piled up 199 total tackles (107 solo), nine tackles for a loss, three sacks, five interceptions, 14 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Two of those fumble recoveries went for touchdowns.

The Frisco, Tex. native was a finalist for the 2019 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award and the Bronco Nagurski Trophy.

With Reed out, the Bulldogs have a chance to get ready for the 2020 season at his safety spot. Chris Smith, Otis Reese, and Lewis Cine are all options at that spot.

Smart hinted on Thursday that the Bulldogs might be relying on some young players against the Bears.

"We had to change some things up from last year," Smart said. "We've been able to do that. Our format of practices has been different. We've really preached fast and physical. We've had, I guess, 11 sessions that have all been right at an hour and a half. We usually practice for two hours. Because of some depth and different issues, we've really had to practice smart and get after it. And we had to do a lot of good on good. So our players have really enjoyed that. And with the competition for all the open spots, it's been really good to have those. A lot of them have been backup spots and 2s and 3s and even special teams, so it's been like starting over. And that's been fun for our guys. I really enjoyed coaching them doing that."