Earlier this week, the Georgia Bulldogs landed Landon Stratton, a graduate transfer punter from Murray State.

It turns out that was great timing, as current Georgia punter Marshall Long announced on Thursday that he had undergone a third knee surgery.

Below, Long reveals how emotional the process of three knee surgeries has been, but it sounds like he’s in a good place as he heads into yet another rehab:

Ever since my second knee surgery my freshman year in Athens, I’ve gone through dark times that have shown me depression and times where I felt there was no hope. My first instinct was to turn to worldly things that I might hopefully find peace and comfort, whether it was people, a weight room, or a party. While that gave me temporary relief, it would eventually fade. Within a week I had seen a failed relationship, really bad food poisoning(never eating at niche in Tate center again), a wrecked truck, and discovery of a third knee surgery that I needed. My heart was torn into what felt like 1000 pieces. I instantly started to blame God(who I wasn’t so sure was real or not). I felt this void in my heart that I can’t even begin to explain the pain and hurt it made me feel. I spent hours begging God if he was real to show me himself and his love that I desperately needed… and that’s exactly what he did! And in what felt like the darkest time in my life I’ve ever experienced, he poured his undeserving love out to me. A love and peace that I had never felt before. God began showing himself to me daily, to the point I would laugh because I knew it was God looking down saying “bro I told you I was real”. I thank God everyday he showed me those dark and tough days, so I would realize life wasn’t meant for me to go through alone and I needed him. I didn’t write all this in an effort to brag or just waste time typing, but to hopefully inspire and show someone who is in a tough and dark spot in life, that God wants to be there with you, and that dark times don’t have to be dark at all, they can be some of the most peaceful times in your life. While I’m far from perfect, I’m glad I found comfort in a perfect God and his perfect love. Now on to knee surgery recovery #3!

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Now it appears Stratton will have a much easier time winning the starting job, and the Dawgs have experience using a graduate transfer at the position. Last year, Cameron Nizialek handled the punter job while Long continued to recover from his second knee surgery.

Whether Long can return to full strength after this latest surgery remains to be seen, but it sounds like he’s going to work as hard as he can to come back stronger than ever.