By: Joe Delaney

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Well, spring is here and one of the most beautiful places in the state is Athens. With a temperature in the 70’s and the azaleas busting out everywhere, Athens is hard to beat.

Throw in a couple tickets I had to see the Tennis Dawgs take out South Carolina on a Friday night and the Baseball Dawgs do the same the next day to those Florida Gators and well, it’s just special.

At that same time, we got glimpses of the 2026 Football Dawgs as they were hard into spring practice.

The general consensus was that the football Dawgs could be very special this year. VERY special.

The next week was the spring game and after seeing it, I can see why. These Dawgs are tight. They have leadership, athleticism, depth, and a hunger to go back to the top.

From Kirby on down, these guys want all the marbles in 2026. The great Georgia guru Rusty Mansell put it out there. Georgia has “a roster built to play for a national championship”.

Are they as loaded as the back-to-back National Champions of a couple years back?  Maybe not, but they might be just as good. Let’s take a look.

It starts with the top. Georgia has Kirby. The Dawgs also have one of the best overall staffs in the country. Throw in an administration and athletic director that are all on the same page and few programs in the country can match the Red and Black.

On the field it all starts with the QB, and Georgia has a good one in Gunner Stockton. While he might not be as flashy as some, he has that something that his teammates love; grit, determination, and a will to win.

With his experience running this offense, he is one of the top returning signal callers in the country. Behind him are 4 others with Ryan Puglisi currently number 2. Watch out for upcoming Ryan Montgomery who is pushing up the depth chart. The key to these guys is keeping Gunner healthy.

The backs will be very good, led by Nate Frazier. Throw in Chauncey Bowens, the electric Dwight Phillips and a couple of highly touted youngsters and Georgia will run the ball. And look out for Dante Dowdell, a transfer with speed, size and experience. His 20 something yard run while hurdling a defender was one of the spring game highlights.

Next are the wide receivers and tight ends. The wideouts will be bolstered by transfer Isiah Canion, and have talent all over with returners Landon Humphreys, C J Wiley, Talyn Taylor and newcomer Kaiden Prothro a 6’ 6” 230 lb 5-star freshman who starred in the spring game.

This group should be solid especially when paired with the best tight end group in the country. Between Lawson Luckie, Elyiss Williams, Ethan Barbour, and Jaden Reddell, the only problem will be how to get them all on the field.

Reddell showed out in the spring game and there are 2 or 3 others behind these guys. Like I said, this is the best TE group in the country. Look for the Dawgs to run some 3 or 4 TE sets with 1 running back.

None of the above means a thing if the O-line can’t do its thing but Georgia should be deep and very good on the line.

Drew Bobo will anchor the O-line at center. Add in returning starters Dontrell Glover, Juan Gaston, Earnest Green and it will be solid. Oh, and don’t forget newcomers Zykie Helton, and Jah Jackson, all 6’10” 350 lbs of him. This offense will have a hundred different ways to score and should be lethal.

Defensively the Dawgs will be loaded with returning starters all over the place. The D-Line will be big, deep, and athletic with plenty of experience.

Josh Horton, Xzavier Mcleod, Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, Nnamdi Ogboko all return and are back along with Elijah Griffin who has All-American written all over him.  There is depth there also.

What the TE’s bring to the offense the LB’s are to the Georgia defense.

Raylen Wilson, Justin Williams, Chris Cole, and Gabe Harris make this group elite and remember the Name Chase Linton. Look for him this fall. There is also depth behind these guys with Nick Abrams, Zayden Walker and others..

The DB’s should be solid with returners Ellis Robinson IV, K J Bolden, Demello Jones, Rasean Dinkins, Kyron Jones, and  transfers Braylon Conley, Khalil,  and  Gentry Williams.

The kicking is in good hands with Peyton Woodring although the punting cannot match the loss of thunderfoot Brett Thorson.

The special teams should be very good with a host of players vying for playing time to get on the field and impress.

All and all this is a loaded football team. Big, fast, physical with depth all over.

To me the keys to a run at the Natty are things that need to be improved on from a 12-2 team in 2025.

First is rush the passer, Georgia was lacking in this last year and the injury to transfer Amaris Williams during the spring didn’t help. That’s priority number one.

Next is, keep Gunner healthy. While there is quality behind him, Gunner is the man.

And last is get a little luck. This team can beat any team in the country if they are on. But they are not the 21 or 22 outfits. They’ll need a little luck here and there. If those three keys come to fruition, I like our chances.