The 2025-2026 season didn't end the way Georgia football fans wanted, but that can happen when you've established a "Natty or Bust" culture the way Kirby Smart has.
Still, the Dawgs finished at 12-2 and claimed another SEC title in a season that saw several players outperform their expectations.
Four Bulldogs specifically played well enough to earn their way onto the newly released ESPN top 100 list, and three of them were unranked to start the season. There were also some players who deserved a spot, but didn't get one.
Which Georgia Bulldogs made the top 100 list?
CB Daylen Everette - #72
Everette was one of the players who, despite solid all-around play in 2024, was not ranked in the top 100 to start the season.
The senior finished his Georgia career with a bang collecting a key interception of Ty Simpson to help secure the 28-7 drubbing of Alabama in their SEC Championship win. He then followed that up with a scoop and score against Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Everette finished the season with 49 tackles and 8 pass deflections in a season that moved him up NFL Draft boards .
QB Gunner Stockton - #64
The kid from Tiger really puts the Dawg in Bulldog, doesn't he?
Stockton answered any question Georgia fans had about his ability heading into his first full season under center as he led the Bulldogs to their second SEC Championship.
Stockton took shot after shot and always got back on his feet for the next play. He finished the season with 2,894 yards, 24 touchdowns, and an 84.9 QBR. He was also unranked before the season started.
The offense clearly is in very capable hands heading into the 2026 season.
WR Zachariah Branch #59
The USC transfer more than delivered on the lofty expectations placed on him when he came to the Classic City for his junior year.
Branch was the most explosive player for the Dawgs and showed the kind of twitchy quickness and pure speed that UGA fans haven't seen in a while at the wide receiver position.
The electric wideout made some huge catches and routinely turned Mike Bobo's screen-heavy offensive playcalling into explosives and a couple of house calls.
He finished his lone season in Athens with 811 yards, 6 touchdowns on an SEC-leading 81 receptions and put himself firmly into Day 1 draft status heading into the NFL. Somehow, he was also unranked heading into the season.
LB CJ Allen - #25
As the captain of the defense, Mike linebacker CJ Allen was the key that helped turned a good unit into an elite one by season's end.
Allen was a seek-and-destroy defender who showed excellent recognition, blitz capabilities, and the ability to drop into coverage on occasion.
His quick rehab from a serious lower leg injury at the end of the season proved how tough the consensus first round NFL draft pick is and also showed his teammates that he wanted to go to war with them.
It should however also be mentioned that several other standouts, like offensive tackle Monroe Freeling, safety KJ Bolden, and running back Nate Frazier were massive snubs who should have also been on this list.