Georgia's 2026 schedule features one quarterback who stands above the rest

Georgia had two losses in 2025. A regular season loss to Alabama, and the CFP loss to Ole Miss - with another near loss to the Rebels in the regular season. What do those two teams have in common?

Both had really good quarterbacks. Alabama's Ty Simpson was a first-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams, and Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss is almost certain to be an early first-round pick this year.

Georgia's defense was not up to snuff last season, particuarly against quality quarterbacks, so what will Glenn Schumann's defense be facing in 2026? Not Simpson, but there are some other names to be concerned about including last year's kryptonite, Trinidad Chambliss.

Here's the list of probably starting quarterbacks Georgia will face in 2026, followed by a quick ranking

Georgia's opposing QBs: The "no worries" tier

Georgia opens the season against a Tennessee State team that really struggled in 2025. Head coach Reggie Barlow is heading into his second season, having gone 2-10 in his first, and has Lee -- a transfer from Winston-Salem State -- slotted to start under center. Honestly, this one is just a warmup for the Dawgs, and it really shouldn't matter who the QB is.

Initially, Rodney Tisdale Jr. was locked up in a QB battle with FSU transfer Brock Glenn, but he was catapulted into the starting role with Glenn's injury during Spring camp. Tisdale put up some respectable nubmers in 2025, but he's not going to be any threat to Georgia's defense this year.

Jared Curtis may be a 5-star prospect, but Vanderbilt starting a true freshman after the run of success under Diego Pavia is going to be quite the dropoff. Georgia also has some extra motivation in this game, as Curtis was a one-time lock to come to Athens, but spurned the Dawgs in favor of the payday in Nashville. Best of luck to the freshman in his first real SEC test (we won't count Auburn).

Georgia's opposing QBs: The "don't overlook them" tier

Dropping Aaron Philo a little low on this list not because of talent, but he's very much an unknown and, frankly, is still in a battle for the starting job though seemingly having the edge right now. Philo is a transfer from Georgia Tech who joined former Yellow Jackets OC Buster Faulkner in Gainesville.

He had limited reps with Tech, and while new head coach Jon Sumrall is assembling an improved team, QB is probably still a weak spot.

The trip to Arkansas this year will have Georgia facing a sneaky-good QB in KJ Jackson, and he's not a player to be overlooked. Jackson, like several of the QBs on this list, is still in a battle for the starting spot, but his experience and impressive performance in the spring game should put him a head of Memphis transfer AJ Hill.

The Hogs have a new offensive coordinator, which can always put a hitch in the step of an experienced starter, but Georgia's defensive coaches shouldn't overlook Jackson.

Why Mendoza over Phio and Jackson? Prior coaching. Mendoza transfered into Georgia Tech from Indiana, fresh off the Hoosiers fairytale national championship season. He was beneficiary to the same coaching that his older brother, and Heisman Trophy winner, Ferando Mendoza got.

The Jackets have taken a step up under Brent Key and have come close to beating Georgia for two straight seasons. Mendoza may have limited snaps, but he could be a QB that puts Tech over the top in the ACC - just hopefully not Georgia.

Georgia's opposing QBs: The "watch out for these guys" tier

While Keelon Russell may have only entered two games for the Tide in 2025, one thing that we've learned over the years is never overlook a new Alabama starting QB. It seems no matter who leaves, they have someone ready to step in without missing a beat.

While Kalen DeBoer may be deficient in some areas that Alabama fans are grumbling about, knowing how to pick, use, and coach up a quarterback is still something he's exceptional at doing. He's an elite developer of QBs and Rusell will probably be just as good if not better than Ty Simpson. when the smoke clears.

Seeing a good quarterback in an Auburn uniform will take some getting used to, but Byrum Brown is exactly that. In his two healthy seasons at USF, Brown put up some eye-popping stats, even with less than average talent around him.

Another first-year head coach, Alex Golesh still has some work to do in order for the Tigers to be SEC-relevant again, but he took a step in the right direction bringing Brown with him from South Florida.

Austin Simmons was on his way to being an elite-level quarterback at Ole Miss, but a bad ankle injury in Week 2 last season opened the door for Trinidad Chambliss. Not taking anything away from Simmons, but once Chambliss got his shot he wasn't relinqushing that starting job.

Simmons coming to Missouri should be concerning, not just for the Dawgs, but for all the SEC. One thing that Eli Drinkwitz has shown he can do is put a top quarterback on the field. Simmons comes into Missouri with experience, and a ton of talent.

Georgia's opposing QBs: The elite tier

Head coach Shane Beamer may be on the hot seat, but he's got an incredibly dangerous quarterback at his disposal to make sure he keeps his job. LaNorris Sellers is one of those players who can take over a game and will his team to victory.

Sellers is a true dual-threat quarterback, and Georgia will need to scheme carefully to keep him from getting wide and breaking open some big runs. This could potentially be a late-season trap game for the Bulldogs.

There's no question that John Mateer has the goods, but will we see good John, or bad John? Last year Mateer was hampered by a broken bone and torn thumb in his throwing hand, suffered in the game against Auburn. But as the hand healed, so did Mateer's stats.

With what Brent Venables has assembled around Mateer, the Dawgs could be looking at their toughest game of the year against arguably one of the best QBs in the SEC.

Trinidad Chambliss is absolutely the top QB Georgia will face this year, and the margin is fairly wide. In two games against Georgia last year, Chambliss threw for 625 yards, and accounted for five total touchdowns. In the CFP matchup he decimated Georgia's secondary.

While facing some of the unknown quarterbacks on this year's schedule will be a task, trying to contain Chambliss on the road in Oxford, MS will be the biggest challenge this defense will have.

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