The Georgia Bulldogs’ passing attack is going to look a lot different next year. The program's single season reception record holder Zachariah Branch already declared for the NFL Draft, but he wasn't the only one to make that decision. Along with him now go Colbie Young, Noah Thomas and Dillon Bell.
With running back Cash Jones and tight end Oscar Delp also moving on, Georgia is losing six of its top seven leading pass catchers from last season.
London Humphreys is the only returner from that top seven coming off a year where he caught 18 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns to finish as the team’s third leading receiver. He’ll return as one of Georgia’s top guys, but the Bulldogs are still in dire need of some other difference makers to fill out the room.
Georgia has big shoes to fill at WR in the Transfer Portal
The Bulldogs have often hit the Transfer Portal to bolster their receiving corps, bringing in Branch and Thomas last offseason, Young and Humphreys in 2024 and Rara Thomas and Dominic Lovett in 2023.
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs are hosting former Vanderbilt receiver Tre Richardson, former Georgia Tech receiver Isiah Canion and former UCLA receiver Kwazi Gilmer on official visits.
Richardson is a smaller receiver at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds who is in the Branch mold. He’s quick and explosive after the catch as he turned 46 catches into 806 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
Canion is a bigger target who profiles as a Colbie Young replacement at “X” receiver. The Warner Robins native is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and caught 33 passes for 480 yards and four touchdowns last season. He has two seasons of eligibility left.
Gilmer led UCLA in receiving with 50 catches for 535 yards and four touchdowns. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
The Bulldogs are also leaning on Sacovie White-Helton, who is entering his third year, as an option out of the slot. Rising sophomores Talyn Taylor and CJ Wiley are also candidates for more playing time on the outside, with Taylor profiling as a deep threat and Wiley as a big-body, contested catch target.
Georgia also has Landon Roldan, Thomas Blackshear and Tyler J. Williams entering their second years. The Bulldogs also signed four-star freshmen Craig Dandridge and Ryan Mosley who will be true freshmen in the fall.
Zachairah Branch leaves a big hole to fill
Branch is one of the most impactful transfers Georgia football has ever seen. His 81 catches are 54 more than any other player on the team, and he almost singlehandedly transformed Georgia’s wide receiver room from a struggling, drop-plagued unit in 2024 to one of the strengths of the team in 2025.
He’ll be a tough player, if not an impossible one, to replicate, and it’s far more likely that Georgia tries to replace him in the aggregate than by signing any one player.
And while the Bulldogs will return veteran quarterback Gunner Stockton in 2026, the offense could be in for some growing pains to start next season with an nearly new group of pass catchers taking center stage.
Branch made life much easier for Stockton and playcaller Mike Bobo with his ability to turn quick throws into big plays. Without a player like that, Stockton will likely be asked to do more in the offense in his second full year as a starter. Time will tell how that goes.