On Monday news broke that defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod was no longer with the Georgia football program. When these reports first came out it made it seem like he had just recently decided to leave the program, but according to Kirby Smart he apparently hasn't been with the program since the start of fall camp.
“Xzavier (McLeod) hasn’t been with us since the second practice, so all the news with Xzavier, everybody’s acting like it’s something newly released or something,” Smart said via dawgnation.com. “I think he practiced once or twice before he decided to give it up and just didn’t want to play football anymore. Certainly respect that.”
Xzavier McLeod left Georgia long before fans ever found out
Georgia fans had no clue that McLeod wasn't with the program until the first reports came out on Monday. Kirby Smart however confirmed that he hasn't been with the team since the second practice of fall camp.
It sounds like McLeod didn't officially retire from football until recently, but the writing likely was on the wall the last few weeks once he stopped showing up to practice.
McLeod's departure will be difficult to overcome. He started six games for Georgia during the 2025 season and was expected to be a starter again to start this year. He may have only recorded 30 tackles during his two yeas with the program, but he was a big body in the middle of Georgia's defensive line who was excellent at clogging up running lanes.
Losing a starter before the season begins is never a good thing, but on the bright side the timing of his decision gave Georgia time to adjust to life without him.
Xzavier McLeod's early departure gave Georgia plenty of time to adjust before their first game
If McLeod decided to leave Georgia the week of their first game like it seemed then it would've been difficult to adjust before playing Tennessee State. Instead he left the program weeks ago which gave Georgia time to figure out how to play without him.
As mentioned, McLeod would've likely been a starter for Georgia this year so it won't be easy to push forward without him. Georgia however has had time to find his replacement and figure out what their rotations will look like with him no longer on the roster.
This gives guys like Elijah Griffin an opportunity to step up in his place and play a much larger role. Griffin is only entering his second season with the program, but as a former five-star recruit he will be expected to replace McLeod just fine.
Georgia will find out how they do without McLeod in just a few days. They would be much better off with him still on the team, but his departure being at the start of fall camp gave Georgia plenty of time to adjust compared to if he had left the program just a few days ago.
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