Georgia has been without the services of William Poole for the first 2 games of the season. The Atlanta-area native, a former 4-star recruit, has been with the program since 2017 and has mainly served in a reserve role.

On Tuesday, Kirby Smart provided the reason behind Poole’s absence, stating that the defensive back has been ineligible to play due to academic reasons. According to Anthony Dasher, Poole will miss the South Carolina and Vanderbilt games as well — 4 in all — putting him on pace to return on Oct. 2 versus Arkansas.

The good news for Poole is that he has been granted a waiver, according to Seth Emerson. It will allow him to return for a 6th year of eligibility in 2022.

Poole played 6 times in 2020 and was not credited with a tackle. In all, he has totaled 22 appearances during his career in Athens, including 8 games in 2018 where he made 10 stops and a tackle for a loss.