Georgia Football adds D-Lineman from Transfer Portal

Georgia football has a new transfer, defensive linemen. Xzavier McLeod, the former South Carolina Gamecock, is now coming to Athens.  McLeod has four years of eligibility and looks to add depth to Georgia’s thin defensive line group. The Dawgs badly needed depth in two position groups, the offensive and defensive line, and they have gotten with recruiting and the transfer portal now. 

McLeod entered the transfer portal in October after playing in just four games for South Carolina this season. McLeod was a player that has been on Kirby Smart's radar for quite some time; many recruiting experts believe that Georgia finished 2nd in McLeod recruitment in 2023.

McLeod hails from Camden, South Carolina, where he was a four-star prospect. He was ranked the 22nd  defensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting cycle. McLeod made his decision between South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. 

McLeod hit the portal in October because he was dismissed from the South Carolina football program that month. Shane Beamer, the head coach at South Carolina and former tight ends coach at Georgia under Kirby Smart, was unclear why McLeod was dismissed from the Gamecocks squad. However, Beamer did say that there was an expectation for his players. Whatever that expectation was, McLeod failed to meet them. 

Even though McLeod was dismissed, it did not deter Kirby Smart from bringing McLeod to Georgia. Hopefully, McLeod has learned from his mistakes and will be the player many believe he can be. A fresh start is what McLeod possibly needed; Georgia needed a defensive lineman. So, it works for everyone involved. 

Georgia has brought in 7 defensive linemen so far this year. The Dawgs were thin upfront for most of the 2023 season. But that would happen when five players since 2021 have been drafted in the NFL. To many fans, Georgia's weakness at the defensive line was the reason the Dawgs did not three-peat. Kirby Smart and Tray Scott are looking to fix that issue.

 Mcleod is the third transfer the Dawgs have gotten since the portal opened. The Dawgs have landed former Vanderbilt receiver London Humphreys and former UCLA long-snapper Beau Gardner. The Dawgs are rumored to land former Florida running back Trevor Ettine and former Miami wideout Colbie Young.