The Georgia Bulldogs’ passing offense will look very, very different in 2026. Six of the Bulldogs’ top seven receivers are no longer with the team, leaving London Humphreys (18 catches, 276 yards, 3 touchdowns) as the only returning player from that group.
Not to mention one of the players who declared for the NFL draft, Zachariah Branch, just set the program record for catches in a season with 81 and had 54 more receptions than the second-leading target, Dillon Bell (27 for 268 yards and a touchdown).
But Branch, Bell, Colbie Young, Oscar Delp, Noah Thomas and Cash Jones are all moving on to the next level, along with stalwart left tackle Monroe Freeling.
It’ll be a lot for rising redshirt senior quarterback Gunner Stockton to adjust to.
Gunner Stockton has a year of experience to build off of
Stockton impressed last year in his first full season as the starter, throwing for 2,894 yards and 24 touchdowns to five interceptions while adding 462 yards and 10 scores on the ground. He led the Bulldogs to fourth quarter rallies over Tennessee and Ole Miss in the regular season, and also performed well in Georgia’s high-profile wins over Texas and Alabama in the SEC title game.
But Branch was about as much of an “easy-button” as a wideout can be. He frequently took Stockton’s screen passes and turned them into explosive plays, which provided a simple yet effective way for the Bulldogs to generate offense on what were essentially run plays disguised as passes.
This year, Georgia will need more creation from Stockton himself, and it’ll come with a host of new targets.
Georgia's new look offense could cause some early issues for Gunner Stockton
Isaiah Canion transferred in from Georgia Tech and profiles as a solid Young replacement at “X” receiver, with a good frame at 6-foot-4, 215 lbs. He caught 33 passes for 480 yards and four scores as a Yellow Jacket last year.
Sacovie White, Talyn Taylor, Landon Roldan and C.J. Wiley are among the returning Georgia wideouts who have a clear path towards an expanded role in 2026.
The Bulldogs are also excited about their tight ends, with Lawson Luckie returning for his senior season and rising sophomores Ethan Barbour and Elyiss Williams set for more opportunities. Jaden Reddell is also in the mix at the position.
In 2026, Stockton needs to show more consistency and aggressiveness with attacking the intermediate and deeper areas of the field. The Bulldogs’ offense worked in 2025 partly because Branch was such a fantastic horizontal weapon, but his skillset can’t be replicated by any one player on this current roster. Georgia’s production is going to have to look different.
Stockton also needs to get better about protecting himself from big hits. His willingness to lower the shoulder made him a fan favorite and does speak to his competitive drive, but there were far too many times he got absolutely walloped in 2025. He is far too important to the offense to be consistently putting his body on the line to the extent that he did last season.
Teammates seem to really believe in Stockton’s mental makeup, work ethic and intangibles as a leader— not to mention the fact that he’s coming off a good year. He’s attracted rave reviews from the locker room, and as critical as he was to Georgia’s success this past season, he’ll need to be even better for the Bulldogs to make it past the quarterfinal in 2026-27.
There will be no shortage of pressure in 2026.