UGA coaching staff visits Southern's Devon Gales

Members of Georgia's coaching staff, including head coach Mark Richt, visited Athens Regional Medical Center on Sunday to check in on injured Southern receiver Devon Gales.

Gales underwent spinal surgery to repair several fractures in his neck, which were sustained during the second half of Georgia's 48-6 win over Southern on Saturday. Gales was injured on a kickoff play and remained down on the field for about 10 minutes. He was then placed on a stretcher and carted off the field.

Southern announced on Sunday that Gales has movement in his upper body and "remains in good spirits."

Richt said he visited Gales and was there with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and his family. Richt added the Georgia coaches' wives and children are assisting by making posters and get-well cards for Gales.

"We're trying to cover him up with as much love as we can and let him know we care, let him know we're here to help," Richt said. "We're just going to continue to pray and I know the Bulldog nation is behind him as well."

Gales will remain at Athens Regional for the time being. Once he's released, he'll return to his hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where Southern is located.

"There may come a time where there may be some needs, I'm not exactly sure

yet," Richt said. "If it does come to that I'm going to be calling all Dogs to get involved and help out."

Mcgraw's status uncertain

Georgia freshman defensive back Rico McGraw's status for Saturday's game against Alabama remains unclear.

McGraw underwent an arthroscopic procedure to repair an injured meniscus.

McGraw missed both the South Carolina and Southern games as a result.

Asked about McGraw's status, Richt said that while he's improved, he doesn't know whether he'll be available against Alabama.

"He's moving along in the right direction but I don't know if it will be quick enough for him to play or not," Richt said.

For the season, McGraw has five tackles and one quarterback hurry.

McGraw was Georgia's top option at the star position.

Since he's missed the the last two games, junior Quincy Mauger has manned the star and freshman Johnathan Abram has played safety. Defensive back Reggie Wilkerson has worked into the mix, too.

Richt tied for second-most wins in Georgia history

With Georgia getting a win over Southern, Richt entered into a tie for second place in all-time wins in program history.

Richt tied former Georgia head coach Wally Butts with 140 career wins.

Butts coached the Bulldogs from 1939-1960. The only coach to record more wins than Richt and Butts is Vince Dooley, who won 201 games from 1964-1988.

Richt said he's honored to have reached this point in his career.

"It's awesome, just to think I've been here 15 seasons and we've had that many victories as a unit," Richt said. "It's certainly an honor on the same page with coach Butts. The thing I like about coach Butts' legacy is not so much the wins but 'Wally's Boys' and the people that loved him and the people that still gather and meet in his honor on a yearly basis. They've got newsletters, all that kind of thing, they all keep up with each other. That's the beauty of college football, the camaraderie that lasts a lifetime. Just to be near his name in the records is really neat."

This story was originally published September 27, 2015 at 11:58 PM with the headline "UGA coaching staff visits Southern's Devon Gales ."