Bishop Media Sports Network
The College Diamond
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
64 NCAA Tournament teams will be announced next Monday, and the SEC is in position to grab up to 10 of the 16 Regional host sites and six of the eight national seeds.
Heading into conference tournaments, these seven teams have all but locked up a top eight seed, which means home-field advantage all the way through the Super Regionals. Teams are in order of RPI, not projected seed.
Georgia (1)
Auburn (2)
Vanderbilt (3)
Texas (4)
Arkansas (5)
LSU (8)
Teams on the hosting bubble.
Alabama (9)
Florida (13)
Tennessee (16)
Ole Miss (18)
Some notes on the bracket hopefuls: Alabama’s RPI is very strong, but the Crimson Tide have only two series wins against Tournament-caliber teams (Oklahoma and Georgia).
Florida went 15-15 in the SEC, but six of those wins came against South Carolina and Missouri. On a positive note, the Gators won series vs. Texas (on the road) and Arkansas.
Tennessee went 16-14 in the SEC and lost their last five series. They have one of the weakest non-conference schedules (216).Tennessee has joined a long list of defending national champions that have struggled, relatively speaking, the following season.
Only one of the last 10 national champs, 2017 Florida, was a top eight seed the following season (the Gators were No. 1 overall). Four of the other nine were hosts but not top eight seeds, and four failed to make the tournament.
Florida miraculously ended its 2025 regular season .500 in Southeastern Conference play after opening 1-11 against league squads, capping off the turnaround with a series victory over Alabama at home on Saturday [W 7-6; L 6-9; W 9-3] and securing the No. 10 seed in the upcoming SEC Tournament.
Vanderbilt, the 2019 champs, did not have an opportunity to defend its title due to the pandemic. The Commodores were the No. 4 overall seed in 2021.
Vanderbilt enters the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the country. The Commodores won their final five SEC games — many in dramatic fashion — to finish 39-16 overall and 19-11 in the SEC.
Vanderbilt swept Kentucky in Nashville over the weekend, winning the first two games on back-to-back walk-off home runs. Outfielder Braden Holcomb, down to his final strike with two outs, hit a three-run blast to give Vanderbilt an 8-7 win.
Then, after Kentucky rallied from down 7-5 at the top of the ninth to take an 8-7 lead, shortstop Jonathan Vastine hit a two-run home run with one out to walk off the Cats once again.
These heroics were nothing new for Vanderbilt. Two weeks earlier, the Dores rallied from down 7-2 in the eighth to beat Alabama with a two-run Holcomb homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
For Kentucky, it was a painful ending to a regular season that featured eight SEC losses by one run and another three by two runs.
At 29-23 overall and 13-17 in the SEC with an RPI of 36, the Cats head to the SEC Tournament on the NCAA Tournament bubble. They play Oklahoma on Tuesday.
The SEC will be well represented and this year‘s College Baseball World Series tournament. It’s just a matter of who will host and who will travel.
I predict four SEC teams will make it to Omaha and one will be crowned national champion.
Air Wildcats
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This fall’s football season will be the second for head coach Travis Roland with the Camden County Wildcats. And what a difference a year makes.
Both Roland and Offensive Coordinator Grant Alford arrived in Kingsland following the 2023 season. That season saw the Wildcats make it to the final four of the state playoffs and then the retirement of Hall of Fame coach, Jeff Herron.
The cupboard was not bare by any stretch of the imagination upon the new coaches’ arrival, but Roland and Alford brought with them a completely different style of football.
The Wildcats have been evolving into more of a passing offense as compared to Herron’s vaunted Wing-T, smashmouth style of football.
Earlier this month, at Chris Gillman Stadium in Kingsland, the Wildcats put on their annual Blue/White Spring Extravaganza. It was definitely an offensive showcase where the football was put into the air with regularity.
The format of the contest was basically a scripted scrimmage with series featuring the Attack (first team) offense against the Attack defense from different distances and situations.
It started with drives from the offense’s own 30-yard line for the opportunity to pick up multiple first downs, followed by series from the defense’s 35-yard line, and then some goal-line work from the 10-yard line.
These same scenarios were played out with the Bite (second team) offense and defense, and the Claw (third team) offense and defense.
The most exciting part of the evening was watching two players battle for the QB1 spot.
One contender for the position is rising senior Parks Riendeau, who has been the unquestioned leader of the team and has been the starting quarterback for the past two seasons.
The other is rising junior Will Jackson, who transferred to Camden from a school in central Florida back in December. At 6’4” and 205lbs, Jackson has prototypical size for the QB position and he already has multiple offers from Division 1 schools, including South Carolina, Arkansas and Virginia Tech.
Rieandeau displayed complete control of the offense, his group scoring touchdowns on each of his first two possessions.
One a scoring pass to rising senior receiver Jeremiah Bass, and the other a touchdown toss rising junior and all-around star athlete, Sean Green.
Riendeau’s poise and decision-making skills will make him tough to beat. He knew exactly where to go with the ball each opportunity, and utilized his two senior running backs, Julien Daily and Antwan Williams, with confidence.
Jackson also got his opportunity to operate the Attack offense, and if he was a little tentative at first, his athletic ability was on full display.
Jackson has a similar ability that his NFL namesake, Lamar Jackson, possesses. With what appears to be no more than a tiny flick of the wrist, he is able to launch a football 40 yards down the field with accuracy and precision.
He also threw multiple touchdown passes to emerging star senior receiver, Tyler Mapel.
Whichever player is given the keys to this Wildcat Offense; he could be in for a record-breaking year.
Camden County kicks the fall season by hosting the Brunswick Pirates in Kingsland on August 15th and won’t hit the road until a trip to Richmond Hill in week 8, on October 3rd.
The full Camden County football schedule for 2025 is:
Friday, Aug. 8: Benedictine (scrimmage), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 15: Brunswick, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 22: East Lake, Fla., 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 29: West Broward, Fla., 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 5: Ribault, Fla., 7:30 p.m.
BYE
Friday, Sept. 19: Royal Palm Beach, Fla., 7:30 p.m. (Homecoming)
Friday, Sept. 26: Valdosta, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 3: at Richmond Hill, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 10: Lowndes, 7:30 p.m.
BYE
Friday, Oct. 24: at Colquitt, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 31: at Tift, 7:30 p.m.
Glynn Goals
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I had a chance to sit down recently with one of the greatest high school coaches in the state and southeast.
Yes, I’m talking about our own Bobby Brockman from Glynn Academy.
We had a great conversation the other day and could have talked for hours. Brockman and I go way back as both my sons went to Glynn and Knox played for Bobby some 15+ years ago.
Growing up every kid wanted to go to the soccer camps on Jekyll. It was amazing on those Saturday mornings. Bobby Brockman was a major player in all of this.
I was fortunate to live in Clearwater, FL for 3 years in my late 20’s and became enamored with pro soccer, as this was the prime time of the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Watching pros like Rodney Marsh and Steve Wegerle from the Rowdies take on Giorgio Chinaglia and the New York Cosmos in front of 60k fans was a great way to get indoctrinated into the game.
Years later I was fortunate enough to coach youth soccer on Jekyll and our 3 v 3 team was you guessed it………The Rowdies.
We had a ball and finished 7th in the 3 v 3 nationals in Disney. I don’t think I’ve ever seen 11 and 12 year old kids have so much fun. Well, seeing as though the Rowdies had something going, the next year the Rowdies coach was Bobby Brockman! We laughed and laughed about those good times.
Brockman and I grew to be good friends over the next few years and I watched the guy accomplish great things on the southside of Brunswick.
How is a 462-95-22 record over 31 years? Well, that’s a start but it may not be Bobby’s true legacy.
Bobby Brockman didn’t coach games, he coached players. And that was his greatness. Go find somebody who played for him. Ask them about Bobby. They will all tell you the same things. Simply the best. Over 500 kids and they all love the guy.
He always had his teams ready to play. A worker, a mentor, and a leader. Let’s look at some of the good times and what Coach Brockman had to say.
Glynn had many good players who Brockman brought up through the Jekyll league.
The best? Bobby mentioned the following and said, “I know I’m gonna miss some but here I go.”
Let’s start with the Craven boys. Enough said. Ritchie and Andy had it all. How about Lee Swafford, David Blackshear, Matthew Lee, Johnny Melcher and Connor Behrend? All great players for the Red and White.
Brockman also mentioned the families that were entwined with the program over the years. Names like the Fendigs, Cravens, Plotners, Swaffords and Bulataos. It truly was more than a team. It was a family that went on for 31 years.
Glynn flourished under Brockman. Try 17 region titles, 9 elite 8 appearances, and 3 Final Fours in 31 years. Add in 15 Region Coach of the Years. So, I had to ask Brockman who were his favorite teams and he said every one of them.
The best teams? Coach Brockman mentioned the 2002 final four team and the 2011 final four squad.
Last but not least was Glynn’s Final Four team from last year.
Favorite wins? He mentioned Shiloh in 2002, when we went to Atlanta and took out a good Atlanta squad 4-0.
More recently, Richmond Hill for the 400th win and last year’s team taking out St Pius and Lassiter, two very good Atlanta Schools.
Brockman was particularly happy with the Lassiter win. Seems as though Lassiter came down to Brunswick with a bad attitude and talked all through the game how Glynn wasn’t very good.
I can’t say what they were really saying but you get the drift. Well Lassiter, the two-time defending state champs, had a long bus ride back to Atlanta losing 3-2. Don’t mess with Coach Bobby!
So now the 2025 season is in the history books. A tough second round loss to Veterans 1-0 ended it.
And all good things must come to an end. Brockman has coached his last game for Glynn.
After 31 years, he is retiring and moving to the Ocala area. Family issues necessitate the move but he will be back often with camps and visits.
Coach Brockman will go down as one of if not the greatest soccer coach in South Georgia.
He built the Glynn Program and through the liaison with Jekyll had a profound impact on soccer growth in south Georgia.
But his lasting impact is that 31-year-old family he built. Safe travels my friend and God Bless.
Even Ground
By: Cameron Miller
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let’s not sugarcoat it, the Atlanta Braves began the 2025 about as poorly as you could imagine, which put them in trouble. Deep trouble.
The Braves were a team that came into the season with real championship aspirations and a roster that’s loaded with All-Star talent. The first half of this season so far was really nothing short of a flat out failure.
They’ve been dealing with major injuries such as a pair of their young Superstars, Ronald Acuna Jr and Spencer Strider, being out of the lineup for them.
The injuries are one excuse, but at the end of the day you’ve got to step up with “next man up” mentality and that’s something they just couldn’t do at the beginning of the season. They had many of us wondering if this was really the same Braves team that once ruled the NL East.
So yes, reaching a .500 win percentage may not seem like much, because at this point it doesn’t even earn you a playoff spot, But make no mistake this milestone really does matter.
It marks a turning point in a season that, not too long ago, really looked like it might spiral into something we would all want to forget.
But here’s the thing about baseball, it gives you time. Time to figure it all out. Time to get healthy and get motivated.
And, over the past few weeks, the Braves finally have shown signs of life. They managed to claw their way back to .500 (21 wins & 21 losses) without the help of Ronald Acuna Jr or Spencer Strider and in doing so, they’ve reminded everyone around the league that they’re not going down without a fight.
The .500 mark isn’t about mediocrity; it’s about resilience and determination.
Eli White has been making a good start as a placeholder for Ronald Acuna Jr in right field, but Acuna is scheduled to rejoin the team for action on June 1st, so when he does make his way back in the starting lineup, the Braves will have another solid option in the field or at the plate if needed.
Spencer Strider on the other hand has been dealing with all different types of injuries; he has been dealing with a right elbow sprain since last season and right now it’s a right hamstring sprain he’s working to come back from.
Still, let’s not get too romantic about a .500 team. This roster was built to contend, not just merely survive.
The Braves aren’t in first place; they aren’t even leading the Wild Card race. But they’re alive and just a few weeks ago, that felt like a long shot. They picked up some steam just in time to try and give themselves a real chance to make a push in the NL East.
Reaching .500 isn’t a reason to celebrate, but it is a call to action. It’s a sign that the Braves have turned the tide just enough to make the rest of the season meaningful and enjoyable. And in a year where they were getting close to playing themselves out of relevance, that’s a victory worth acknowledging.
If they keep this momentum going, we’ll look back at this week not as a meaningless statistical checkpoint, but as the moment the 2025 Braves started to matter again.
Jason Bishop Show May 15 2025
Falcons to Thrive in 2025?
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2025 season is shaping up to be a turning point for the Atlanta Falcons.
There’s a new energy around the team, thanks to a mix of fresh talent, major roster shakeups, and a schedule full of primetime matchups. One name already making headlines is rookie linebacker Jalon Walker. He has the makings of a superstar.
Walker, a former Georgia Bulldog and Butkus Award winner, was a first-round pick this year and already has big expectations on his shoulders.
He made a name for himself in Athens with a monster 2024 season, and now he’s bringing that fire to the NFL, hoping to spark a new era for Atlanta’s defense.
And speaking of Bulldogs, one of the biggest games on the Falcons’ upcoming schedule will have a full-circle moment for Georgia fans.
The Falcons will face the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, and that means Walker will go head-to-head with Rams quarterback, and fellow Bulldog legend, Matthew Stafford.
Stafford was the No. 1 overall pick back in 2009 and is still one of the most respected QBs in the league. It’ll be the first time these two Bulldogs share the field, and it’s happening right back in Georgia.
But that’s just one of several big-time games on Atlanta’s radar. The Falcons are set to appear in five primetime games this season, which shows the league sees them as a team worth watching.
They’ll host the Bills and Rams on Monday Night Football, hit the road to take on the Vikings and 49ers on Sunday Night Football, and battle the Bucs on Thursday Night Football.
Oh, and don’t forget, the Birds are heading to Berlin in Week 10 to play the Colts in the NFL’s first-ever game in the German capital.
Last year, the Falcons went 3-2 under the lights, picking up wins against the Eagles, Raiders, and Bucs. They handled the spotlight relatively well last season, and they’ll get plenty more chances to show that they belong in primetime this year.
Of course, the team isn’t without its challenges. Grady Jarrett, a longtime anchor on the defensive line, is no longer with the team and his absence leaves some big shoes to fill.
That’s where Walker, fellow rookie James Pearce, and hopefully a few veteran additions come into play. There’s even talk that Atlanta could bring in someone like Jadeveon Clowney to help solidify the front seven.
And then there’s the quarterback situation. It appears Michael Penix Jr. is firmly entrenched as the starter, but it’s going to be fascinating to see if the Falcons hold on to Kirk Cousins, who would potentially be the highest paid backup quarterback in league history if some other team doesn’t try to pry him away.
Would Atlanta consider dealing him to a conference rival after the news that Derek Carr is retiring and the New Orleans Saints are left with only rookie Tyler Shough and the unproven Spencer Rattler?
Still, there’s plenty to be excited about. Drake London is blossoming into a star, the defense is getting younger and faster, and the schedule is packed with marquee matchups. It won’t be easy, but the Falcons are clearly aiming to build something sustainable.
The success of the Falcons will depend on how the pieces come together, but with so many eyes on Atlanta in 2025, fans won’t have to wait long to find out if this team is ready to “Rise Up”, or if they struggle to fly from the nest.
Either way, it should be a wild ride.
Storm Brewing?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Hurricanes won 10 games for only the second time in 20 years.
Their explosive offense led the nation in scoring (43.9 points) and produced the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Still, 2024 still felt like a disappointment.
Miami’s defense was sabotage in action finishing 69th in scoring (25.3 points) and allowing 61 plays of 20-plus yards (94th nationally).
Their defensive performance was why Miami missed the College Football Playoff with a 42-38 loss at Syracuse in the final weekend of the regular season to knock them out of the conference championship.
Often praised for his recruiting, coach Mario Cristobal elevated Miami, a team who signed top 10 recruiting classes in 2023 and 2024. The Hurricanes don’t play defense, which falls on coaching.
Cristobal hired Minnesota defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman, who led a top 10 scoring defense (16.9 points) that finished 12th in yards per play allowed (4.76) in 2024. Miami gave up 30+ points in six of its 13 games last season. Meanwhile, Iowa was the only team that scored 30 points on Minnesota last year.
Miami made a concerted effort to retool its secondary by bringing in six transfers, headlined by Xavier Lucas from Wisconsin and, most recently, Houston/Auburn transfer Keionte Scott.
Miami has holes to fill on offense, too. In addition to Cam Ward, the Hurricanes lost their top four wideouts (Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George, Isaiah Horton and Sam Brown) and tight end Elijah Arroyo.
Most notably, there was the high-profile addition of Carson Beck, Georgia’s top quarterback. Praise be the transfer portal!
Miami is very fortunate to have replaced Ward immediately and keep their momentum on offense.
In addition, Miami landed several receiver transfers: CJ Daniels (LSU/Liberty), Keelan Marion (BYU) and Tony Johnson (Cincinnati).
Beck didn’t throw in the spring while recovering from an elbow injury he suffered in the SEC Championship Game.
He’ll have to develop chemistry with a new set of receivers and acclimate to a new offense quickly — and get more help from the revamped defense than Ward did — for Miami to win the ACC for the first time and earn a Playoff spot.
The Canes NIL presence has always been well known. LifeWallet CEO John Ruiz made the Hurricanes an immediate player in the name, image, and likeness space by doling out millions to bring talent to South Florida.
While his involvement with the program has since faded given some recent financial issues, the school’s attitude towards utilizing NIL to build its roster hasn’t budged.
Miami’s NIL estimated spin for 2025 it’s between $20-$25 million.
Miami’s investment paid off on the recruiting trail where they were able to convince top prospects to spurn notable programs in order to sign with The U.
The Canes are just below Texas and Georgia for the most estimated NIL spend in the country.
Will it translate into wins on Saturday, an ACC championship and a college football playoff slot?
Top Portal Classes
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football spring transfer portal window closed April 25th. Let’s take a look at the top transfer portal recruiting classes going into the summer.
#1 LSU: The Tigers are bringing in 18 players. They have 12 four-stars and 5 three-star players.
Some of the standout players are: S Tamarcus Cooley (NC State), DL Bernard Gooden (USF), S A.J. Haulcy (Houston), Edge Patrick Payton (Florida State), TE Donovan Green (Texas A&M), DL Sydir Mitchell (Texas), CB Mansoor Delane (Virginia Tech), Jack Pyburn (Florida), IOL Braelin Moore (Virginia Tech), WR Destyn Hill (Florida State), WR Nic Anderson (Oklahoma), WR Barion Brown (Kentucky), IOL Josh Thompson (Northwestern) and Edge Jimari Butler (Nebraska).
I expect LSU to be a top 10 team in the preseason poll.
#3 Miami: The Hurricanes have 19 commits. Nine of them are four-stars and 9 are three-stars.
The biggest star is QB Carson Beck (Georgia). He’s hoping to follow in Cam Ward’s footsteps because he transferred in from Washington State the year before. He was the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
Some of the other players are: CB Keionte Scott (Houston), S Jakobe Thomas (Tennessee), LB Mohamed Toure (Rutgers), LB Kamal Bonner (NC State), WR Keelan Marion (BYU), WR Tony Johnson (Cincinnati), TE Alex Bauman (Tulane), IOL James Brockermeyer (TCU), CB Xavier Lucas (Wisconsin), CB Charles Brantley (Michigan State), TE Jack Nickel (UAB), S Zechariah Poyser (Jacksonville State), WR CJ Daniels (LSU) and Ethan O’Connor.
The defense was the Achilles’ heel last season so they added plenty of talent on that side of the ball. I think they will start the season just outside the top 10.
#4 Ole Miss: The Rebels are adding 29 transfer players, making them one of the deepest classes. They have 10 four-stars and 19 three-stars.
They include: QB Maealiuaki Smith (Oklahoma State), OT Terez Davis (Maryland), CB Tavoy Feagin (Clemson), WR Harrison Wallace III (Penn State), WR Traylon Ray (West Virginia), OT Percy Lewis (Auburn), S Kapena Gushiken (Washington State), WR Deuce Alexander (Wake Forest) and IOL Delano Townsend (UAB).
They lost quarterback Jaxson Dart who was a first round pick in the NFL draft. They have enough talent to start the season in the top 20.
#6 Florida State: FSU showed us how badly building a team from the transfer portal can go last year.
They imploded and went 2-10 after being ranked in the top 10 in the preseason. Let’s see if things will be better in 2025. Out of their 23 commits they have 8 four-stars and 15 three-stars.
Some of them are: RB Gavin Sawchuk (Oklahoma), OT Josh Raymond (Vanderbilt), CB Jeremiah Wilson (Houston), S Jarvis Boatwright Jr. (USC), WR Squirrel White (Tennessee), DL Jayson Jenkins (Tennessee) and OT Micah Pettus (Ole Miss).
We will see if the Seminoles can bounce back.
#8 Auburn: The Tigers were 5-7 last season and only won two conference games. They have 19 commits with 6 four-stars and 12 three-stars.
This includes: LB Caleb Wheatland (Maryland), S Taye Seymore (Georgia Tech), TE Preston Howard (Maryland), OT Mason Murphy (USC), CB Raion Strader (Miami OH), WR Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech), OT Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech) and QB Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma).
I think they can start the season as a Top 25 team.
The Top 2 Teams
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Finally, the coast is clear to make grand proclamations about the upcoming SEC football season. The transfer portal has closed (at least for departures), and there are no season-changing athletes on the market.
So, as we unwind this offseason and take a look around, here are two grand proclamations:
- The SEC’s two best teams are clearly Texas and Georgia, and in that order.
- After that, it’s wide open.
What did we expect? The two best teams are the two that made the conference championship game and were the last two SEC teams in the College Football Playoff.
It’s just the obvious conclusion, especially after a spring that saw both programs only solidify their spots, especially through the portal.
When predicting third place and onward, a glut of candidates exists and none is a clear favorite? Inevitably, some team will emerge to challenge or perhaps leapfrog Texas and Georgia, maybe there’s more than one team who does it.
At this stage, picking teams requires a confidence level that today’s facts don’t match. There are plenty of candidates with plenty of flaws among them. There will be carnage in any SEC schedule; each team saw plenty of injuries last year, and this year’s slate is essentially the same, just with the home sites flipped.
Texas and Georgia meet on Nov. 15 in Athens. They met in October last year and managed a rematch in Atlanta. That they could do so again was buttressed by their offseasons.
Texas: In perhaps the smoothest quarterback transition ever, Arch Manning steps in after two years of occasional starts for Quinn Ewers, who played well for Texas but wasn’t so irreplaceable that the NFL deigned to pick him in the first six rounds of the NFL draft.
The Longhorns then armed Manning this spring with help from the Bay Area: receiver Emmet Mosley V (Stanford) and tight end Cal Endries (Cal). These additions will pair with Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore returning this season, both finishing in the top five in receiving yards on last year’s team .
On defense, Texas signed five defensive linemen between the two portal periods. Right now, they have one of the best front sevens in college football, if not the best.
Between that, the projected passing game and the program’s status as the only team to make the last two CFPs.
Not to mention their surprisingly manageable schedule this year, it’s easy to pick the Longhorns as national preseason No. 1.
Georgia: Kirby Smart has never been heavy on the portal.
He prefers to use it strategically. This year’s portal haul is consistent to previous years, but this year, especially if Georgia ends up returning to the national championship game, transfers will be the reason they got there.
The post-winter window was successful enough. Georgia needed receivers and got them: Noah Thomas (Texas A&M) out wide and Zachariah Branch (USC) in the slot, plus Zachariah’s brother Zion Branch and two others for depth at safety.
The post-spring window may have been just as big.
Elo Modozie (Army) could start right away, and tailback Josh McCray (Illinois) gives the Bulldogs an experienced tailback, which was badly needed after Trevor Etienne went pro.
These weren’t eye-popping, multi-million-dollar deals, but they shored up weak spots.
Also, Georgia didn’t lose any key players in the post-spring window AND didn’t suffer any long-term injuries during spring practice.
Georgia’s roster is fortified for another national championship run, with things depending on two spots: starting quarterback Gunner Stockton and a young offensive line. The theme of spring practice was that the team feels good about Stockton.
There’s no guarantee Texas or Georgia win the conference title or even make the Playoff, but would you bet against it?
As things stand now, they are clearly the two best teams in the SEC. And the teams who emerge behind or through them will be fascinating to watch.
Well over half the league has an argument to make a push into the top tier, and that should make for a compelling season.
The Future QB
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Jared Curtis, the No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class, is officially back on board with the University of Georgia.
After decommitting from the Bulldogs last year, the five-star standout from Nashville Christian School made his return to the Dawgs during a commitment ceremony on May 5th that was anything but low-key.
Curtis walked into the gym early wearing a sleek all-black tracksuit, with his parents dressed in long black coats. The big moment came when he shared the news and rolled a commitment video on the big screen above the gym floor. Oregon made a serious push, but Georgia came out on top.
So why did Curtis choose to recommit to the Bulldogs? It came down to coaching. “Just the stability in the coaching staff and knowing Coach Smart and Coach Mike Bobo are there,” he said. “Those are my two biggest commitments at UGA.” Curtis said that consistency meant more to him than anything else, including NIL money.
With his commitment, Georgia’s 2026 recruiting class got a big boost, going from No. 25 to No. 17 in the national rankings. He’s the first five-star in the class for the Dawgs, but he might not be the last.
Georgia’s hoping to pair Curtis with Jackson Cantwell, a 6-foot-7, 300-pound offensive tackle and the No. 1 overall recruit in the class. Cantwell is a large human being.
If Georgia can land Cantwell too, they’d have the top quarterback and the top lineman in the country. That combination could put UGA on track to have the best recruiting class in the nation, just like when they signed Matthew Stafford back in 2006.
Speaking of Stafford, that’s the name that keeps coming up when people talk about Curtis. The comparisons make sense. Both are big, strong-armed quarterbacks who weren’t afraid to take chances.
Curtis is listed at 6-3 and 225 pounds and is known for throwing darts all over the field. He’s not necessarily a run first guy, but he moves well, throws on the run, and has serious arm talent. It feels cliché to say this, but I don’t think there is a throw he can’t make.
Also, like Stafford, Curtis has that “gunslinger” mentality. I’ve watched a bunch of his highlight reels and he is definitely not afraid to take risks and try to make something happen, even if it means forcing a throw now and then.
He had a game this past fall with a perfect stat line. In Nashville Christian’s 53-point win over rival Clarksville Academy, he went 16 for 16 with 259 passing yards and 5 total touchdowns.
If you have some time to kill, do yourself a favor and type his name into the search bar on YouTube. You can thank me later.
This cat is the kind of quarterback who can take over a game, and he’s the kind of player Georgia fans should be excited about.
In today’s college football world, five-star quarterbacks usually come with big-dollar deals. According to reports, Curtis will be part of a strong NIL package at Georgia that will include revenue sharing, endorsement deals, and collective support, but Curtis is adamant that money wasn’t the driving factor. His agent said NIL probably made up only 10-15% of the decision.
“If Jared was chasing the best compensation package, this may have been over a long time ago,” said Peter Webb, his agent.
In fact, neither Georgia nor Oregon had the highest offer. Curtis chose Georgia because of relationships, not cash.
For head coach Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, this is a massive win. They brought Curtis back into the fold and now have him leading the charge for more elite talent.
With momentum building and top recruits still on the board, the Bulldogs could be in for a huge 2026 class. It looks like Georgia just got its quarterback of the future.
