Georgia is well-equipped to deal with the loss of DL John Jenkins

Georgia will miss DL John Jenkins in the the Capital One Bowl, but the Bulldogs have a capable replacement in Kwame Geathers and will get more help from DE Abry Jones, who is returning from injury.

Georgia DT Kwame Geathers is a capable replacement for John Jenkins. (US Presswire)

The news that massive nose tackle John Jenkins will miss Georgia's appearance in the Capital One Bowl against Nebraska for academic reasons was a huge disappointment to Bulldogs fans on Wednesday.

Jenkins is a key cog in the Bulldogs' defense. His 6-foot-3, 360-pound frame provides an anchor in their 3-4 scheme. He's viewed as a potential first-round pick by many draft analysts and is ranked as the 20th overall prospect for 2013 in CBSSports.com's latest draft rankings.

"I think John Jenkins has been awesome for Georgia," coach Mark Richt told the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Wednesday. "I’ve been really proud of what he’s accomplished for us and just really want to wish him the very best because he’s been a blessing to our program.”

But the Bulldogs are uniquely suited to handle the loss of Jenkins due to the presence of his backup, Kwame Geathers.

Geathers, a redshirt junior, brings similar size (6-6, 358) and skills to the position. Though he's not receiving the overall draft attention that Jenkins is, Geathers is flirting with an early entry to the NFL himself. 

Georgia is also expected to return DE Abry Jones, who missed the last seven games with an ankle injury. The 6-3, 310-pounder won't fill in directly for Jenkins, but will add depth and size to the DL. 

For more up-to-the minute news and analysis from SEC bloggers Larry Hartstein and Daniel Lewis, follow @CBSSportsSEC.