The Transfer Portal gives and the Transfer Portal takes, that is the name of the game in college football today. Georgia has really benefited from a handful of transfers over the years, with wide receiver Zachariah Branch being the most recent example after he dominated for the Bulldogs just last season.
But for all of the really good players Kirby Smart has brought in there have also been a handful that left Georgia that everyone wish stayed in Athens.
These three players all left Georgia and immediately found a ton of success at their new schools, but they also would've helped fix major flaws Georgia has had the past few years.
1. Damon Wilson - Missouri
Damon Wilson should be the very first player everyone thinks about when think of really good players that left Georgia. He transferred to Missouri ahead of the 2025 season when he was supposed to become a starter for the very first time.
Not only did Georgia lose a starter, but they lost someone that went on to have nine sacks last season. Georgia as a whole really struggled rushing the quarterback last year, and Wilson would've helped fix that problem.
Wilson now finds himself playing for Miami where he will compete for an ACC and National Championship, but had he stayed at Georgia he could've been the difference between UGA falling short in the playoff like they did last season or making a much deeper run.
2. Marvin Jones Jr. - Florida State
Marvin Jones Jr. is another EDGE that Georgia recently lost that really hurt their depth on their defensive front.
Jones final season in Athens was in 2023 where he recorded an impressive 4.5 sacks. He however decided that he wanted to play elsewhere, so he hit the road and move to Florida State where he recorded six sacks in 2024. He then was on the move once again, this time to Oklahoma for the 2025 season where he had a five sack season.
Just like with Wilson, Jones would've helped fix Georgia's issues with rushing the quarterback as well. He maybe wasn't as successful as Wilson has been since leaving Georgia, but the Bulldogs really could've used his 11 sacks over the past two seasons.
3. Jermaine Burton - Alabama
Wide receiver is another position where Georgia has struggled slightly the past few years. Outside of Branch this past season, it's been difficult for Georgia to find a reliable pass catcher. That was especially the case during the 2024 season when Georgia's receivers were one of the units with the most drops in the country.
Jermaine Burton was a great receiver for Georgia in 2020 and 2021. After recording 53 receptions, 901 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two seasons he made the move to Alabama where he exploded for the Crimson Tide.
During his two years with Alabama he tallied 79 receptions, 1,475 yards and an impressive 15 touchdowns. That is a level of consistent production that Georgia's wide receiver room hasn't had enough of, and they really could've used him especially in 2023 when he was a senior and was scoring touchdowns on Georgia in the SEC Championship game which ended up keeping UGA out of the College Football Playoff.
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