Georgia's pass rush wasn't very good in 2025. The Bulldogs' 20 sacks were last in the SEC and by far the lowest of the Kirby Smart era.
Ultimately, the Bulldogs’ defense did them in as they were unable to lay a finger on Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss in their season-ending 39-34 loss in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl.
That has to change in 2026, and Georgia signaled as much when they went out at got former Auburn edge rusher Amaris Williams out of the transfer portal on Thursday.
Williams, a former five-star recruit had two sacks for Auburn last year is a four-star transfer portal prospect per 247Sports. He is 6-foot-4, 270 pounds and plays with plenty of strength with some impressive burst for his size.
Georgia addressed one of their biggest needs with latest transfer addition
Georgia’s pass rushing room was easy to point to as a potential weakness before the 2025 season. The Bulldogs were left with a young, inexperienced group featuring Gabe Harris, Quintavius Johnson and Joseph Jonah-Ajonye as the main options off the edge, with a helping of Chris Cole pass rush snaps as he divided his time between the edge and at off-ball linebacker.
It’s become an annual thing for Georgia to have to restock the front seven in the offseason after sending first round talent to the next level, and last offseason was no exception after linebacker Jalon Walker and defensive end Mykel Williams departed for the NFL. Walker and Williams formed one of the SEC’s best pass rush tandems in 2024 and combined for 19 sacks that year.
But when they both declared, Georgia’s succession plan was less apparent than usual. Edge rusher Damon Wilson II transferred to Missouri and longtime contributors Chaz Chambliss and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins both went pro as well.
Harris was the only player in the room who had recorded a sack in the SEC before 2025, and there simply wasn’t an easy player to tab as the lead pass rusher after Wilson’s transfer.
Georgia added edge rusher Elo Modozie out of the portal from Army at the last minute in late April, signaling something of a desperation move.
Early pass-rush results were abysmal as Georgia had just seven sacks in its first eight games. The Bulldogs surrendered 41 points in a narrow victory over Tennessee, then made Ty Simpson look like a Heisman Trophy candidate two weeks later against Alabama.
Quarterbacks had all the time in the world to throw, and it had a negative effect on Georgia’s secondary as well who frequently gave up big plays amid the lack of pressure.
Georgia's response to lack of a pass rush
The Bulldogs responded with an in-season move of true freshman linebacker Zayden Walker from playing off the ball to the edge. It seemed to help, as Georgia had 12 sacks in its final five games including two from Walker.
But, again, they still wound up with the fewest sacks in the SEC and a premature playoff exit.
Williams joining the team during the normal portal window should put him in a much better position to succeeed than Modozie, whose late arrival made it a near-impossible task for him to get up to speed with the defense in time.
The addition of Williams addresses a major need for Georgia, who cannot afford to enter 2026 with the pass rush so penciled in as a clear weakness. As much as the defensive staff talks about how much they believe in their defense, which does seem sincere, an infusion of talent from the Transfer Portal could really help. This is where Williams and potentially others come in.
There are several other talented edge rushers currently in the portal including Mandrell Desir from Florida State, James Smith from Alabama and even Wilson, though a reunion might not be in the cards to say the least given the fact that Georgia and Wilson are currently suing each other.
It also helps that essentially all of Georgia’s primary edge rushers are returning next season, and that rising sophomores Isaiah Gibson and Darren Ikinnagbon (a five-star and four-star recruit out of high school respectively) will have their first year in the program under their belts.
The Bulldogs have to do better at the edge rush position next season. They can’t afford to have it be something that sinks the entire defense like it did in 2025.
Maybe Williams will prove to be the perfect addition. Maybe Walker, Harris, Johnson or even Modozie makes a big leap. Maybe Gibson or Ikinnagbon break out as sophomores. But either way, Georgia needs to give quarterbacks a lot more trouble than it did in 2025, and the addition of Williams is a good step towards that.