We’re going to learn a lot about the Georgia Bulldogs’ pass catchers this weekend against Alabama.
Assuming weather doesn’t interfere with things, the showdown with the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa will be Georgia’s first major test of the college football season. The Bulldogs have already played a good defense in Oklahoma, but Alabama is a clear step up because of its own scoring prowess.
Georgia has currently scored the most points of anybody in college football. While it’s unlikely anyone expects Georgia to score more than 50 points per game for the whole season, it does show how many different players have made explosive plays in this passing game.
This, however, will be the first chance to see who can do it in a big game.
“To be a good offense nowadays, you've got to be dangerous,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “You've gotta have multiple weapons. You've gotta have multiple ways to get those players the ball.”
Georgia has plenty of play makers capable of going off against Alabama
Talyn Taylor, Craig Dandridge, Sacovie White-Helton, Landon Roldan and London Humphreys have all made some plays at wide receiver throughout different points for Georgia this season.
The position was a major question mark for Georgia entering the season after the departures of six of the team’s seven leading receivers from 2025. That list included Zachariah Branch, who broke the program record for receptions.
Through the first five games of the season, it’s gone just about as well as it possibly could for an unproven group facing weak competition. But they still haven't exactly proven who this team can trust in a game as big as this weekend.
Taylor looks like the best bet on the outside. He was quiet last week against Vanderbilt, but showed some serious stuff the week before against Oklahoma. Taylor caught four passes for 110 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown out of the slot and an awesome 41-yard one-handed catch.
He had two more 30-yard grabs in that game, both of which were on the outside. Taylor’s blend of long speed, quickness, shiftiness after the catch and contested catch ability make him the most likely No. 1 SEC receiver material on this roster.
Dandridge has shown similar pop as a deep threat, but is still only a true freshman. Humphreys is a tenured Bulldog with freak athleticism, but hasn’t produced a ton this year. White-Helton is a good option out of the slot who seems to have good chemistry with quarterback Gunner Stockton. All of them are firmly in the mix entering this game.
Roldan caught a monster 55-yard moonshot from Stockton against Vanderbilt last week, and added a two-yard touchdown too. He’s another field stretcher to look out for in this game.
The Bulldogs brought in Isiah Canion to be a dependable player at the X spot, but he’s been injured for the last two games and his prognosis isn’t great this week. His backup, Thomas Blackshear, is also dealing with an injury that may keep him out.
Georgia needs as much help as they can get from their TEs and RBs
Georgia’s tight end room of Lawson Luckie, Elyiss Williams, Jaden Reddell and Ethan Barbour got a ton of hype entering the season, and they are probably good for one to two splash plays per game between the four of them. But they’re going to be counted on just as much, if not more, in the running game. Still, you can’t count them out to make some big plays.
Running back Dwight Phillips Jr. has looked extremely explosive recently and could be a factor catching passes out of the backfield. Ditto for Nate Frazier, whose return to the backfield is arguably the biggest thing Georgia’s offense needs in this game. If he’s not at full strength, this conversation about the passing weapons only becomes more important.
It remains a relatively unproven group, even from what we’ve seen. This is the Bulldogs’ receiving corps’ big chance to show the nation they’re legit.
“I think every good team scores points,” Smart said. “They have different ways to beat you, and not one-dimensional. That's what good offenses have, and that's what we've gotta continue to develop."
They’ll be working against some of the better defensive backs in the country. Zabien Brown and Dijon Lee are both among the best cornerbacks in the SEC, and safety Bray Hubbard has been a great player for a long time now. Gunner Stockton doesn’t have a ton of room for error, especially against this Alabama offense.
“They've got ball hawks,” Smart said. “They've got guys who can make plays on the ball. They've got a lot of length in the secondary. They play physical.”
Alabama’s three defensive touchdowns are tied for the national lead. Lee had a game-changing pick-six against Mississippi State last week.
“They've been really opportunistic as well when they've gotten [takeaways], running them back and scoring,” Smart said. “Anytime you score on defense, it's a big, huge momentum swing, and they've got players who can do it."
Stockton looks like a more confident, fearless passer than last year. The weather might dampen the passing offenses on both sides, but there’s still some pressure no matter what for him to match what Keelon Russell and his offense of proven playmakers can do.
We will learn a lot on Saturday, or whenever this game is if the weather changes it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google