Colin Lacy
A New Chapter For Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
One of the best rivalries in all of college football has been the Georgia-Florida game (or Florida-Georgia game depending on the side of the fence that you fall on).
Since 1933, the only time that the matchup between the two SEC rivals hasn’t taken place in Jacksonville came in 1994 and 1995 when Jacksonville Municipal Stadium was being built.
The 2026 rendition of the game will take place in Atlanta at Mercedes Benz Stadium with the renovations coming to Everbank Stadium over the next two years.
The 2027 meeting will take place in Tampa at the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
2026 not only has a new home, but the rivalry is being tagged with a new name of the “Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic: University of Georgia vs University of Florida”. The full name may not roll off the tongue quite like Florida-Georgia or Georgia-Florida, but like most around college football, the money allows for things to change.
For the game to be moved for just the 3rd and 4th time since 1933, it must mean meaningful changes are coming to Duval County…and it surely does.
The Jaguars and City of Jacksonville are teaming up to revitalize Everbank Stadium into a state-of-the-art facility that focuses on fan experience and also sustainability and environmental friendliness.
The project is not just a plus for the main tenant of the Jaguars, but also the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, Georgia-Florida game, along with concerts and soccer matches. Construction is scheduled to finish in August of 2028. During this time, the Jaguars will “keep as many games as possible in Jacksonville” but also play two in London.
So, while the venue and the name officially changes, organizers of the game have tried to keep the rest the way that the game has been for generations.
What was once called “the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,” has been known for the signature stadium split. Each team splits everything (club seating, suites, general seating, etc.) in half inside the venue.
That will remain the same with the north side of the stadium (far side of the stadium if watching on TV) will be occupied with orange and blue Gator faithful, while the nearside (South side) will be flooded with red and black Dawg fans.
The game will also continue the tradition of inducting a class of the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame prior to the game.
The City of Jacksonville Office of Sports and Entertainment will continue to host the induction ceremony and luncheon in Atlanta at the College Football Hall of Fame Friday afternoon before the game.
The 2026 class includes Andre Hastings and Brandon Boykin from Georgia along with Emmitt Smith and Maurkice Pouncey for Florida. These four will make the Georgia-Florida Hall of Fame 130 inductees deep since it was created in 1996.
One of the few aspects that won’t be on display for the next two years is RV city, but the organizers have tried to carry as many traditions that fans have built their experiences around up I-75 to Atlanta.
No matter where the game is played, no matter what stadium it’s in, the Georgia-Florida game will always be special. It will always have great meaning, and this year shapes up to be one of the best in recent memory with the resurgence on the field that Florida has shown this season under first year Head Coach John Sumrall.
While there’s nothing like having the matchup in Jacksonville, for the interim, Atlanta is a fabulous location and will provide the potential to have an SEC Championship feel to add to the pageantry around this matchup.
The Moves?
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Now another season for the Atlanta Braves begins.
After a NL East title in the Regular Season, a series win against the Phillies and falling in the NLDS to the Dodgers in the Postseason, the Braves turn their attention to arguably the most important season to a MLB front office, the off-season.
What is and what should be the priority for Alex Anthopolous and company over the next few months? Let’s dive in.
First off, we’ll start with the two that are as close to a lock as you can get. Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. have team-friendly club options for this season and are expected to have the Braves accept those options. The club options would give $17 million to Acuna and $7 million to Albies.
One free agent that may be a quieter than deserved bidding war is utility man Mauricio Dubon. Dubon had one of his best years of his career and has made comments in the last few weeks that he feels like “he’s earned this free agency cycle.”
Dubon bounced around the field in 2026 for Atlanta playing five different positions. Most of those appearances came at shortstop and left field. While many are calling for the Braves to resign Dubon and make him the everyday shortstop, the better fit in my eyes would be to resign him and make him your consistent left fielder.
Braves will also have the man expected to be the shortstop at the beginning of the year in Ha-Seong Kim hitting free agency as well. Kim’s 2026 season will be one he would like to forget after a year flooded with injury and frankly underperformance, a new situation may be better for Kim elsewhere.
There are a couple of down the depth chart guys that enter free agency on the position player side like Lane Thomas, and Rowdy Telez who spent most of the season at Triple A Gwinnett.
You would imagine that the mound will be a heavy emphasis this offseason, and it starts with sifting through those that could be departing.
The first that pops up on the radar is Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. Last season, “Iggy” signed a one-year $16 million deal to return to Atlanta after turning down offers from the Dodgers and Blue Jays.
While many believed that Atlanta signed Robert Suarez last winter to take over as closer in 2027, there may still be some meat on the bone for Iglesias who will turn 37-years-old this offseason. That $16 million mark has been the sweet spot for Iglesias, and assuming he wants to keep going, I hope he’s back in the ATL.
One that is interesting is the mid-season acquisition in Tyler Mahle. Mahle turned the season around after being traded from the Giants to the Braves at the deadline to the tune of a 1.99 ERA in nine appearances after the move.
Mahle could be a big piece of this rotation. Will it be a sub-2.00 ERA all the time? Probably not, but he has shown he can be a reliable #3 or 4 starter in a rotation at the very least, with a much higher potential. One positive in the equation is Mahle said multiple times when asked that he would be extremely interested in staying in Atlanta.
Martin Perez and Joe Jimenez are two others on the hill that will hit the cattle-call of free agency, but for me fall into the category of “if the resign, great; if not, I’m not torn up.”
Outside of the free agents that the Braves are trying to keep in Atlanta there are two areas that should be the top of the docket for the Braves front office: starting pitching and shortstop. The Braves have been in conversations for the past few years with the Texas Rangers about acquiring shortstop Corey Seager.
Seager has been one of the most consistent shortstops in baseball for a while now and would be an enormous addition to the Braves infield and lineup with his contact focused approach.
It’s no secret that the Braves need starting pitching, and I keep hoping that the Braves are able to make a move and land a large addition to the rotation. The Braves have capital to deal in prospects and can’t be afraid to deal Ronald Acuna Jr before he hits uncontrolled free agency next year.
This offseason is going to be interesting to see how aggressive teams are with the uncertainty of when we will see baseball on the field in 2027 due to what many feel is a lockout coming.
I personally will be shocked if we’re playing baseball before summer of next season at the earliest, so seeing how front offices navigate through the unknown will be fascinating to watch.
How The Atlanta Braves Won The NL East
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Has the Atlanta Braves season in 2026 been flawless? No. That being said however, most teams in baseball would trade their seasons with the Bravos in a heartbeat.
When you factor in all of the adversity that seemed to be never ending for the franchise, the season has been almost unbelievable.
Think back to the middle of February. Spring training is supposed to be the time of unrealistic optimism, but for Atlanta, it was a time of blow after blow.
Just when camp was beginning, the Braves learned that Jurickson Profar was popped for the second time for the league’s performance enhancing drugs policy and would miss the entire season.
Just days later, Atlanta learned that pitchers Joe Jiminez, Spencer Schwellenbach, Spence Strider all were hit with the injury bug.
Throughout the season there has been numerous impact injuries with AJ Smith-Shawver, Bryce Elder, Strider…again, Reynaldo Lopez just to name a few.
Through all of the injury bugs (almost felt like an infestation), the Braves sat atop the NL East virtually from opening day. The lead ballooned to as many as 10 ½ games in May but had the division at an arm’s length the entire back half of the regular season and wrapped up their seventh NL East title in the last nine years with a September 20th win over the Astros in Houston.
How did the Braves overcome everything? The old adage of “everyone has to deal with injuries at some point” is true, but the Braves felt like it was a decade worth in one season.
To me, it starts at the top. First year manager Walt Weiss should be heavily in the conversation for Manager of the Year award and was the perfect person in order to keep this team on the same page.
Weiss has shown he has been the perfect combination of old school baseball mind, and the willingness to embrace the new school additions to the game.
While the household names of Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, and Ronald Acuna Jr (when he’s been healthy), have done their parts to get the Braves to the promise land of the postseason, it’s been the unsung heroes for the Bravos that have made this season possible.
Names like Mauricio Dubon who have done a little bit of everything for Atlanta, Mike Yastremski, Tyler Mahle and others have raised their standard to a new level in 2026 to propel Atlanta to where they wanted to be.
Nobody embodies this more than Martin Perez. How fitting was it that Perez started the game that clinched the NL East title for the Braves.
Perez was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training then was designated for assignment by the club on April 12th.
Yet not only was it his Sunday September 20th start that secured the division title for the Braves, a Perez start really kickstarted the pitching resurgence down the back stretch.
Atlanta broke into the month of August with a spot start for Martin Perez that found out he was starting about an hour and a half before first pitch. How did it kickstart something?
Perez took a no-hitter into the 7th inning. While I understand that is just one of 162, that is what really started a stretch of impressive starting pitching for Atlanta.
The Braves were plagued by borderline horrendous starting pitching for about a month, but the strong Perez open sparked the pitching staff that was bolstered by the semi-unknown Tyler Mahle at the trade deadline.
While there have been blips on the year for the Braves, they have continued to overcome, continued to fight for the clubhouse, and will enter the postseason as the 3-seed and have to play in the opening round, but who woulda thought that the postseason was in the cards for the Braves after hit after hit (and not in the good way) they have endured thru the season.
Texas A&M Aggies 2026 Preview
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There has been so much excitement in College Station the past few years, only to see it get squashed at the end of the season for the Texas A&M Aggies.
At the end of the 2025 season, despite being the #7 seed in the College Football Playoff, the Aggies were one game away from playing in the SEC Championship game and likely a top 4 seed in the College Football Playoff with a bye that coincides.
Mike Elko enters his third season as head coach in the lone star state and continues to elevate the Texas A&M program each year.
Marcel Reed returns for another year leading the Aggies at quarterback and has been one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the SEC at times. Reed opens 2026 as one of eight returning FBS QBs nationally to amass 5,000+ career passing yards and 1,000+ rushing yards.
The Nashville native saw action in 3 games in 2023 before taking over in 2024 as the starting quarterback. Injuries sidelined Reed for a few games but came back strong in 2025.
The additional benefit that Texas A&M sees is so many familiar faces, especially in the skill position rooms. Receivers, particularly with All-SEC wide-out Mario Craver along with Terry Bussey, Ashton Bethel-Roman all return to be impactful pieces of the Aggie Offense.
The lone transfer into the receivers is Isaiah Horton who comes to the 12th Man from Miami making 11 starts for the Hurricanes last season.
While the skill positions are locked in with a similar cast, the trenches have been re-done. The offensive line is expected to have at least three transfers on the front.
Trovon Baugh sits at 6-4, 335 and is expected to start at right guard after spending the last 3 years at South Carolina.
The two ends of the line are high impact transfers, both standing at 6-7. Wilkin Formby transfers in from Alabama after 14 starts for the Tide last season at right tackle, and on the left side is expected to be Tyree Adams, the LSU transfer at 6-7, 310 pounds.
The biggest emphasis this offseason for TAMU has been toughness. Mike Elko has ramped up the camps to bring an added intensity to the lead-up to the season because that has been the achilles heel of the Aggies in the past few years at times.
The defense is the main side that has been tasked with cranking up the intensity. Second year Defensive Coordinator Lyle Hemphill brings in a couple of key transfers that are expected to have an immediate impact of bringing the defense to the level that is expected under Mike Elko.
Up front, CJ Mimms comes in after stops at East Carolina and North Carolina with over 30 starts between the two under his belt.
In the secondary, Rickey Gibson stays in the SEC coming over from Tennessee and linebacker Ray Coney steps up after being a first team all AAC selection last year at Tulsa.
Between the emphasis on intensity coupled with the scheming of the defensive mind of Mike Elko, it could be a match made in heaven for the 12th man this year.
Elko is someone that just fits the culture (a very unique culture at that) of College Station. He’s embraced it, he’s lived it as a defensive coordinator before going to Duke as a head coach, and now enters year 3 of his head coaching tenure at Texas A&M.
They have taken leaps every year in the past and this is a team from the SEC that I think gets over the hump and into the national spotlight deep into the College Football Playoffs.
Texas Longhorns 2026 Preview
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Entering year three in the SEC, most are becoming comfortable with the Texas Longhorns and the SEC being in the same sentence.
Texas has racked up a 23-6 record as a member of the Southeastern conference the past two seasons, and year three looks to be much more of the same as the Longhorns were picked 4th in the preseason coaches poll.
If there has been a knock against the burnt orange, it’s been the performances when the lights are the brightest.
Last season, two of the three losses came against Georgia in a dominant 35-10 Bulldog victory and a 41-27 shortcoming at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl.
2024 was more of the same. It was a pair of missteps against Georgia that accounted for two of the three losses for the Longhorns.
One of those Georgia matchups was a highly built-up regular season matchup in Austin where the Bulldogs out physical-ed Texas to the tune of 30-15, with the other coming in the SEC Championship with Georgia edging the Longhorns 22-19 on a late Gunnar Stockton touchdown.
2024 was a magical season for Texas with the run to the Cotton Bowl in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff and the folks in Austin are hoping (and expecting) a repeat of that in 2026.
The name Arch Manning has been talked about in the lone-star state since what feels like Texas was still in the SouthWEST Conference, but the now fourth-year quarterback is poised to take the next step leading the Longhorns.
Manning has racked up a 12-3 record as the starter for Texas with over 4,100 yards through the air and 49 total touchdowns.
There has been so much scrutiny on Manning (some because of the name, some because of what he did in his high school career) but most of that has been from the national media.
Locally in Austin, it’s been the trajectory that was expected from the now junior. Manning played two games in his true freshman season then split time with Quinn Ewers in 2024 as the redshirt freshman. Last year took over in a hugely productive season, now looks to take the next step into dominance under center.
Much of the excitement heading into the season revolves around some key transfers, especially on the offensive side of the ball. In the backfield along Manning will be NC State transfer Hollywood Smothers. Smothers averaged 6.1 yards per carry in 2 years with the Wolfpack and was one of the most heralded transfers in the class.
The receiver’s room has been retooled with the addition of Sterlig Berkhalter from Wake Forest, and Emmett Mosley from Stanford along with the premier transfer Cam Coleman from Auburn.
All that talent couples with 2nd team All-SEC wide-out Ryan Wingo returning.
On the defensive side, the biggest addition may be one wearing a headset as Steve Sarkisian hired longtime defensive guru Will Muschamp as the defensive coordinator.
The former head coach at South Carolina and Florida has spent the past five years as various positions on staff for Georgia returns to Austin after leading some of the toughest Texas defenses from 2008-2010.
Sixth year head coach Steve Sarkisian has rebuilt the Texas football brand into a national power and looks to take the next step this season and reach the pinnacle of college football.
There is a lot of buzz around this Texas program and well warranted. The Longhorns have quickly become a perennial pick to be in Atlanta the first weekend of December for the SEC Championship (while it still exists), but that just scratches the surface of what could be coming home to Bevo this year in Austin.
Rocky Top
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In the words of the late great Voice of the Vols John Ward, “You can sense the intensity as they await the arrival of the Tennessee Team here in Neyland Stadium.” There’s a very similar feeling to those archived words around the Orange and White as we inch closer to a September 5th kickoff.
Sixth year Head Coach Josh Heupel has several questions to answer, but there’s also much to be excited about.
The most pressing question around the Vols entering the ’26 campaign is at quarterback. After the departure of the one-year stopgap of Joey Aguilar, Tennessee will be deciding between a pair of young guns to take the snaps.
True freshman Faizon Brandon was a top five overall prospect nationally out of high school where he completed 72 percent of his career passes and racked up over 6,300 yards passing.
The competitor is redshirt freshman George McIntyre. The 6-6, 208 local Tennessee native made two appearances in his redshirt season last year with just nine pass attempts after being a consensus four-star prospect out of high school.
Josh Heupel has said that he would like to name a starter earlier in camp, but “the job won’t be won or lost on day one.
One of the big stories coming out of Knoxville in the pre-season is the NCAA handing down a two-game suspension to middle linebacker Arion Carter.
Carter had declared for the NFL Draft after the 2025 season, and while going through the draft process discovered he needed a medical procedure. Taking that into account, Carter removed his name from the NFL Draft just before the deadline to do so and come back to Tennessee for his senior year.
During the Draft process, Carter had a flight paid for by an NFL club (with the grand total under $500 which he paid back) which violated the NCAA rules (yes, those still exist).
While the September 5th opener against Furman doesn’t necessarily have anything change because of the absence of Carter, it could loom large for week 2 when Tennessee heads to Bobby Dodd Stadium to take on Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Around whoever takes the snaps for the “Power T” are tons of weapons. DeSean Bishop rushed for over 1,000 yards a year ago to become the third straight Tennessee starting running back to eclipse the 1K threshold.
Braylon Stanley, Mike Matthews, Radarious Jackson lead the receiver room along with a litany of young talent waiting in the wings.
On the offensive side the biggest improvement needs to be on the offensive line. A much re-tooled unit looks to take a huge step forward with the addition of Sam Pendleton coming in from Notre Dame, Wendell Moe transferring from Arizona, and Ory Williams from LSU.
The Tennessee defense is one of the more intriguing I think in the SEC. The talent is there, but the intriguing aspect is the leader of the defense with Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles being named DC in the offseason by Josh Heupel.
Knowles has been heralded as one of the top defensive minds in college football, especially after winning the 2024 National Championship with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The schedule is do-able for this Tennessee squad. The Vols don’t play Georgia this season and get Alabama, LSU, Texas and Auburn all at the friendly confines of Neyland Stadium, so while the SEC Media selected Tennessee to finish 8th in the league, there’s a path for the Vols to make some noise and there’s a quiet buzz around Knoxville.
So, to finish the quote from the Legendary Voice of the Vols John Ward, “wherever you listen throughout the world, ITS FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!”
Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets 2026 Preview
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There’s plenty of “new” in Brooklet heading into the 2025 season.
A new head coach, new coordinators, heck even a new principal. The comforting thing for Southeast Bulloch is the fact that while the roles are new, it’s familiar faces filling those roles.
After a 5-5 finish for Southeast Bulloch in 2025, former Head Coach Jared Zito submitted his resignation and SEB named then Defensive Coordinator Jason Anthony as interim head coach throughout the 2026 season.
After the elevation to Head Coach, Anthony announced the promotion of two current SEB Coaches to the coordinator roles.
Brandon Peterson, who has spent the past two decades on the SEB Football staff and is honorarily inducted into the SEB Athletics Hall of Fame this fall, will take over as the offensive coordinator.
Replacing Coach Anthony as Defensive Coordinator will be Anthony Hammett who has been on staff for the past four years working with the secondary.
With Jayden Murphy and Colby Smith finishing their time as a Yellow Jacket, there are roles to be filled. Those roles will look different with the change in leadership and style.
The past 3 years have seen SEB run a version of the split-back veer. Now the Jackets will transition back into the shotgun and see the Jackets spread the ball around.
While there is some production that has to be replaced, there are many weapons already on this roster that have been waiting in the wings.
The most glaring is the new signal caller Ja’kalian “JK” Small. The rising sophomore saw very few snaps last season but is a budding talent waiting to burst on the scene.
Small is anything but standing at 6’3”, the new QB1 has a dynamic arm and playmaking ability. To me, Small could be one of the most impactful players in this area in his first season in the role.
There are also many threats for SEB for Small to connect with. Obviously, Aaden Peterson has been on the college camp circuit this offseason with multiple offers already heading into his senior year.
AP can affect the game in a couple different ways on the offensive side but mostly will be seen as a receiver and defensive back for the Jackets.
Eli Reed is another receiver that makes an impact this year for SEB with the size and physicality he brings.
On the defensive side, it’s a unit that could be incredibly impactful. The secondary seems to be solidly intact with AP, Eli Reed, and a number of returners, but the group that is expected to be the force is the linebacking corps.
Led by Brant Horst who had over 200 tackles in his career and almost career TFLs will anchor the group in the middle of the SEB Defense along with returners like Bailey Hutchins, and Kaiden Gaskins.
At the end of the day, SEB faces a steep mountain with the schedule in front of them.
A non-region slate that includes games against Statesboro, East Laurens, Burke County and Westside (Augusta) combined with the new region slate poses an elevated challenge for SEB, but it’s one that this Jackets team feels up to the task.
Despite much of the change being filled by familiar names, the feeling around this SEB team has shifted in a positive way.
A big credit of that goes to the new Head Coach Jason Anthony who has talked all offseason about the sole focus of this program is the players.
That mindset is what has made ‘Ant’ one of the most respected coaches by his team that you’ll come across.
SEB has hit the weightroom hard, and I’m fired up to see what the Yellow Jackets look like in less than a month when it gets shown on Fred Shaver Field.
Statesboro Blue Devils 2026 Preview
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Coming off a second-round appearance in the GHSA State Playoffs last season, Statesboro High has taken enormous steps forward each of past three years under Head Coach Matt Dobson and the Blue Devils’ staff.
2026 sets up to be more of the same with Statesboro looking to burst into a newly revamped region and make a deep run into the playoff field.
After a 2-2 start to the 2025 season last year, the Blue Devils went on a five-game winning streak with wins over Bradwell Institute, Lakeside, Brunswick, Evans and South Effingham.
Statesboro had hopes to win the region title up until the final week of the regular season last year with having to deal with a lot of adversity through the year.
A lot will be talked about with Beckham Jarrard (and rightfully so), but even when Jarrard missed multiple games with injury in the middle of the five-game win streak, the Blue Devils were able to continue to thrive.
Davis Harrison was able to take over and with contributions from Keon Childers, Gage Newsome, and other weapons.
While the roster continues to be littered with talent for Dobson, the main focus continues to be on Beckham Jarrard.
The now junior has had a busy offseason bouncing from some of the best college camps in the country and garnering well deserved attention from the top schools in the country just entering his junior campaign.
In two seasons for the Blue Devils, Jarrard has racked up over 2,800 passing yards, rushing for almost 700 more and scoring 28 combined touchdowns.
Jarrard is a phenomenal talent on the field, but to me what sets him apart as a next level talent is the mindset and dedication to, he has shown to the mental side of football.
We mentioned in a story from last season how Jarrard breaks down virtually every throw he makes (in a game and practice) on video with former NFL QB Coach Pat O’Hara.
While there are some questions that will be answered early in the season for “the Boro”, Matt Dobson and company believe that they have the answers to them.
Statesboro will have to find replacements for Keon Childers who was one of the best rushers and receivers in the region in the past few years along with Gage Newsome, the top receiver for the Blue Devils last year who both graduated after the 2025 season.
SHS will look to some returners to take a big step forward along with at least one transfer into the program.
Someone that has produced in a number of different roles for Statesboro already in his career but would be my pick to take a massive step for his senior year is Davis Harrison.
Harrison has worked as a receiver, quarterback (as we mentioned earlier), and now is listed on the roster as a tight end but is someone that is a leader in the squad that could really put up some big numbers this year.
The other player that I believe will have a massive year in his first year in a Blue Devil uniform is DJ Brooks.
Brooks transfers to Statesboro this year from cross-county rival Southeast Bulloch and looks to sure up the running back room for Statesboro with Keon Childers’ departure.
Brooks averaged over 6.0 yards per rush with a pair of touchdowns in limited action for Southeast Bulloch last year as a sophomore but is a physical player that can be a beautiful counter punch (and weapon for) to Jarrard.
Statesboro will try to improve on the 2nd round appearance last year that saw the final record sit at 8-4 and will be a force to be reckoned with in a much tougher region after the GHSA realignment.
Atlanta Falcons Flying Upward?
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Right at a month away from Flowery Branch, Ga being a bustling well-oiled machine with Preseason Training Camp for the Falcons opening the last week of July, much has changed for “the birds” since wrapping up the 2025 season.
Not only does the franchise have a fresh look with the newly refurbished uniform combinations debuted in early April, but with virtually an entire new hierarchy on the football side, how so much change is dealt with will be interesting to follow this year.
Atlanta began the change with a change in the leadership of the team with Rich McKay, Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris all being either fired or “reassigned” after the 2025 campaign. Enter a familiar name as Matt Ryan, former Atlanta quarterback great (and many, including me, that believe was the last true starting quarterback for the franchise) taking the reigns as the Director of Football and building the roadmap that gets Atlanta back to division titles and beyond.
The first moves were bringing in Head Coach Kevin Stefanski and General Manager Ian Cunningham.
The roster also undergoes a good amount of change from a year ago.
Kirk Cousins was released in mid-March, Darnell Mooney’s contract was terminated, Ruke Orhorhoro was traded to Jacksonville just to name a few of the departures from a year ago from the ATL.
So, who fills those holes? Strangely there seem to be more additions than subtractions (at least in numbers).
Tua Tagovailoa was signed to the quarterback room for the Falcons. Tagovailoa spent the past six seasons with the Miami Dolphins but has struggled to stay healthy at times and has also struggled with turnovers.
Once Michael Penix Jr gets fully healthy after rehabbing back from a partially torn left ACL which he suffered last November, Penix and Tua will battle for the QB spot, with the expectation that it’s Penix’s to lose.
One addition that has gotten overlooked this offseason that I think could have an enormous impact for the Birds this year is the return of Olamide Zaccheaus at wide out.
The former Virginia Cavalier spent the first four NFL seasons in Atlanta with 8 scores in the four years.
Zaccheaus bounced around with the Eagles in 2023, Washington for the 2024 season before spending 2025 with the Bears. Zaccheaus has steadily grown his numbers over his career and could slide into the vacated role the Falcons have with Darnell Mooney’s contract being terminated to free up $7.4 million.
Both sides of the trenches have also seen some additions with trade acquisitions.
On the offensive line, the Falcons traded a 6th round 2027 draft pick to the Chiefs in exchange for a 7th rounder and offensive tackle Wanya Morris to bolster the offensive line depth that has been severely lacking for several years now.
On the defensive side, a swap of pass rushers with Jacksonville saw Ruke Orhorhoro headed to Duval in exchange for defensive tackle Maason Smith. The 6-5, 306-pound D-Lineman brings 3 career sacks in 2 years with the Jags in limited playing time, but the upside is off the charts for Smith.
There are a few other supporting cast acquisitions for the red and black this offseason, but the main question is “how do all of these new pieces fit together?”
To me, it all hinges on one thing. The quarterback (I know, that’s not really a state secret in the NFL). If the Falcons want to take the step in the right direction, they have all the pieces on offense with Bijan Robinson, along with new contracts for Kyle Pitts and Drake London.
The fans saw the enormous step forward last year on the defensive side of the ball, but it all comes back to one thing…Can the Flacons get consistent quarterback play at a high level?
In my mind, it must come from Michael Penix Jr. He had a roller coaster rookie year that ended with the injury but got to knock off the rookie rust.
Now he must get healthy and be the signal caller that the Falcons have desperately searched for since trading Matt Ryan to the Colts in 2022.
Sorsby and The Supplemental Draft
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
So much has been swirling within the Brendan Sorsby saga that is unchartered territory for many folks following the story. One of the widely unknown elements that has cropped up a few times has been the NFL Supplemental Draft.
The biggest reason that the Supplemental Draft is an unknown commodity in the NFL is due to the fact that it’s been lightly used since it’s inception in 1977.
In the 49 previous years of the Supplemental Draft, there have only been 46 players selected with multiple players being taken nine times before 2000.
There hasn’t been a player even selected since Jalen Thompson was taken by the Arizona Cardinals after being declared ineligible at Washington State for his senior season due to NCAA Rules Violations. One step forward, the NFL hasn’t had a player apply to be considered in the Draft since 2023.
So, what exactly is the Supplemental Draft and how does it work?
The NFL Supplemental Draft is a separate draft that happens in the summer designed for players who were not in the regular first-year player draft in April and ends up losing his college football eligibility.
The NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement has language that the draft has to take place “on or before the seventh calendar day prior to the opening of the first training camp that League Year,” and also prohibits players from electing on their own to bypass the draft for which they are eligible to apply for in order to participate in the Supplemental Draft.
One of the biggest deterrents, and the main reason for the limited selections, especially in recent years, is if a club selects a player in the Supplemental Draft, they forfeit a choice in the corresponding round in the next year’s main draft.
For example, if a team takes Sorsby this year in the third round of the Supplemental Draft, that team would lose their third-round selection for the 2027 First-Year Player Draft.
While the official date of the Supplemental Draft hasn’t been set yet, with the rules outlined in the CBA, it would have to be on or before July 16.
One reason the date hasn’t been set yet is that technically Sorsby isn’t in the field yet. Sorsby’s camp has applied to be in the Supplemental Draft, but league officials must approve each player to be in the selection pool.
Most league officials believe it will be a foregone conclusion that Sorsby will be admitted, but the formality hasn’t happened yet.
Much like other professional league drafts, the NFL Supplemental Draft order gets determined by a lottery, or better yet, three different lotteries.
The NFL will group the teams into three separate groups the first group are teams that won 6 or fewer games, the next group won 7 or more games but missed the playoffs last season, with the final group as teams that played in the postseason. Within each of those groups, the lottery will determine the draft order.
The draft rules are different than the normal draft. In each round of the draft, every team goes “on the clock.” If a team wishes to pick a player in that round, they will put a “bid” in for that player. If only one team submits a pick in that round, they would get the player. If there is more than one team that submits a pick in that round, the player is awarded to the highest team in the Supplemental Draft order.
If there are no picks in that round, all teams are informed that the next round begins, and the same procedure commences. The draft lasts 7 rounds or until all eligible players are selected (whichever comes first).
In the history of the NFL Supplemental Draft, only one player has been selected then go on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as Chris Carter was selected in the 1987 NFL Supplemental Draft then elected to the Hall in 2013.
Only 8 players have been Supplemental picks and selected to the Pro Bowl with Josh Gordon being the most recent. These numbers don’t include the 1984 Special Supplemental Draft for college seniors that had already signed with the USFL or Canadian Football players when 3 players were drafted and went on to Hall of Fame careers with Steve Young, Garry Zimmerman & Reggie White in 1984.
Where does Sorsby land? The thought right now around the NFL front offices is that Sorsby (who is also the only known player to have applied for the Supplemental Draft) likely lands in the third round of the Supplemental Draft.
That being said, if a playoff team from last year (the lowest tier in the draft hierarchy), thinks that Sorsby could develop to an impact quarterback, they may forego a 2nd round pick next year for him.
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