Kirby Smart has made it a healthy habit for his Georgia football team to have a massive draft class every year. Though that is a good thing, it doesn't normally help chances for winning in the next season.
Georgia had 13 players drafted in the2025 NFL Draft, not to mention key starters like Carson Beck leaving in the transfer portal. Nevertheless, Smart is also good at something else, reloading. Georgia was able to completely revamp this team both on offense and defense through means of the transfer portal and their recruiting class. With these new additions joining the team, plus some familiar faces able to step up in big ways, there is a lot to watch for in Georgia's opening game against Marshall.
How does Gunner Stockton fair with new targets?
Whether you were a fan of Beck last season or not, you have to admit the wide receiver room did not give him much help as Georgia led the nation in drops during the 2024 season. To address this issue, Georgia has brought in plenty of talent and brought back some familiar faces as well. Along with reliable receivers Colbie Young and Dillon Bell returning, Georgia went out in the transfer portal and added Noah Thomas from Texas A&M and Zachariah Branch from USC.
Thomas and Branch could very well be the two targets this Georgia offense has been longing for. Thomas has a 6'5" frame that can be used like how the offense used to use Javon Wims with Jake Fromm. He has the size and capability to be that jump ball receiver the Bulldogs have been missing since George Pickens was around. Along with that, Branch provides not only a quick slot receiver option, but someone who can be an excellent return man.
So watch out for these two receivers specifically in this game against Marshall and how Mike Bobo uses them in this new-look offense.
Revamped Georgia run defense?
In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Georgia set the standard for run defense across college football. Since then, the numbers have started to shake. Defensive Coordinator Glenn Schumann has made it a point to bring that caliber of defense back, stating the team "did not tackle to our standard last year." To combat that, Georgia is returning some familiar faces on this defense that are ready to step up to the challenge.
Christian Miller has been marked by many draft boards as a prospect that can shine this season. Behind Miller is a host of linebackers which includes starters from last year's campaign. The run defense is arguably the best unit Georgia is suited to have in 2025, with almost all starters returning to the lineup. With Marshall historically being a run-first team and boasting the 32nd-best run game in the country, it will be exciting to see how this defense has improved against the run in game one.