Georgia is expected to be down to one place-kicker and one punter when spring practice begins next month. Persons with knowledge of the situation tell Dawgs247 that redshirt junior Marshall Long is expected to take a medical disqualification and end his football career, leaving the Bulldogs with Rodrigo Blankenship (fifth-year senior) and Jake Camarda (sophomore) as the only scholarship specialists on the roster.

Dawgs247 has been unable to confirm whether or not Long has already taken the medical hardship but we have been told by multiple sources that he is not expected back in 2019.

Long hasn't appeared in a game since the Bulldogs traveled to Kentucky in 2016. At the time, he was the starter at that position and had handled those duties through the first nine games of the season. In the week of preparation leading up to Auburn, Long suffered a gruesome injury during a punt-block drill and has struggled to fully recover.

He would go on to miss the rest of the 2016 season with Brice Ramsey taking on those duties. He didn't appear in a game in 2017 or 2018 and wasn't always visible in practice. In fact, Long had at least one additional procedure on that knee after his initial recovery.

In nine games as a freshman, Long uncorked 49 punts for an average 38.71 yards per boot. The U.S. Army All American was a bit inconsistent during his first year of college ball but did show signs of having the leg strength it takes to help the Bulldogs flip the field. Because of his injury, the Bulldogs brought in Columbia graduate transfer Cameron Nizialek to handle those duties. Camarda handled them a year ago as a true freshman.

A medical disqualification allows Long to continue to attend school at Georgia and stay close to the program but he'll no longer count toward the limit of 85 scholarships. With him no longer included in that total, the Bulldogs currently have exactly 85 players on scholarship when you count the 24 signees in the 2019 class.

Georgia ended the 2018 season with 84 players on scholarship and had 15 seniors exit the program. It also had four juniors declare early for the NFL draft, Mecole Hardman Jr., Elijah Holyfield, Isaac Nauta, and Riley Ridley. There are three other players Justin Fields (Ohio State), Luke Ford (Illinois), and Deangelo Gibbs (Tennessee) who have transferred to other programs and a fourth, Tray Bishop, who is currently in the NCAA's Student-Athlete Transfer Portal and not enrolled at UGA for the spring semester. When you add the one scholarship UGA had to give plus the 15 seniors, four early departures, four transfers, and Long's expected medical disqualification, it gives the program 25 open spots for the 24 signees and Tennessee graduate transfer tight end Eli Wolf.

UGA is also pursuing Miami wide receiver Lawrence Cager as a graduate transfer. If the Bulldogs add him, they'll need another scholarship to open up prior to the start of the 2019 season.

Spring drills are expected to begin on March 18 with G-Day scheduled for April 20.