Georgia football is less than two weeks away from their first game of the 2026 season. The Bulldogs are looking to repeat as SEC Champions and win the conference for the third year in a row, but standing in their way is a difficult schedule and multiple teams ready to dethrone them.
A lot of changed since the Georgia Bulldogs last graced the field on New Years. While there are plenty of things to talk about regarding this year’s football team, there are three important things to know about the Georgia Bulldogs before kickoff on Sept. 5.
Georgia is one of the youngest teams in all of college football
The average age of Georgia's roster going into this season is 19.8 years old which gives Georgia one of the youngest rosters in the country. While it is exciting knowing how talented this roster is and the likelihood of those underclassmen staying in Athens for several years, there can be some growing pains to start the season.
Thankfully Georgia's first two games of the season are against Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, so the Bulldogs will have time to get adjusted to things before SEC play. Plus, the Bulldogs are led by a very experienced quarterback in redshirt senior Gunner Stockton, so that should help calm the offense and entire team tremendously.
Georgia's defense returns eight starters
While the overall roster is very young, Georgia has the fifth-most returning production in the country. This includes returning eight starters on defense which includes two All-American players in the secondary in Ellis Robinson IV at corner and KJ Bolden at safety.
Some of the greatest teams in the Kirby Smart era have had the luxury of a star safety paired with an elite corner. For reference, the 2017 National Championship runner-up team had Jim Thorpe Award winner Deandre Baker along with Dominick Sanders, who tied the Bulldogs all-time program record with 16 career interceptions and holds the program record in career interception return yards. The 2022 undisputed National Championship team had Kelee Ringo at corner along with Jim Thorpe Award finalist and All-SEC safety Malaki Starks.
Needless to say, Georgia is looking to repeat history with these guys in the secondary. Plus, an elite defensive line with guys like Elijah Griffin returning to rush the passer should give the team plenty of opportunities to bring out the Junkyard Dawg Savage Pads.
Georgia will pair a loaded backfield with an experienced offensive line
Georgia has not had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2019. This is mostly due to the fact that the Bulldogs like to split carries with several running backs, but they could definitely go back to the run game in 2026 with a wide receiver room that lost six of their top seven pass catchers.
Thankfully Georgia has arguably the most loaded backfield they've had in recent memory, returning all three of their top backs plus Gunner Stockton who was the first Georgia quarterback since Fran Tarkenton to lead the team in regular season rushing touchdowns last season.
The Bulldogs also bring back four of their five starters on the offensive line from a year ago. Their line averages 6'5" 326 pounds which makes them among the largest in college football and comparable to and even heavier than some NFL lines.
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