Georgia is less than one week away from their season opener against Tennessee State meaning that their 2026 fall camp is officially complete. Even though fall camp is over there are still plenty of ongoing position battles, but Kirby Smart is willing to play whoever deserves to play so no one is set in stone on the depth chart at any point in the season.
Georgia will eventually release their first official depth chart ahead of their week one matchup which will provide clarity on how fall camp went at each position, but this is how that depth chart could look when Georgia welcomes Tennessee State into Sanford Stadium on Saturday.
Depth chart projection:
Offense
Position | 1st-string | 2nd-string | 3rd-string |
|---|---|---|---|
QB: | Gunner Stockton | Ryan Puglisi | Ryan Montgomery |
RB: | Nate Frazier | Chauncey Bowens | Dwight Phillips |
X-WR: | Isiah Canion | CJ Wiley | Thomas Blackshear |
Z-WR: | Sacovie White-Helton | Craig Dandridge | Kaiden Prothro |
Slot WR: | Talyn Taylor | London Humphreys | Landon Roldan |
TE: | Lawson Luckie | Jaden Reddell | Elyiss Williams |
LT: | Earnest Greene | Ekene Ogboko | Dennis Uzochukwu |
LG: | Dontrell Glover | Michael Uini | Marcus Harrison |
C: | Drwe Bobo | Malachi Toliver | Cortez Smith |
RG: | Zykie Helton | Graham Houston | Michael Uini |
RT: | Juan Gaston | Jahzare Jackson | Tyreek Jemison |
The starters on offense are relatively set in stone. Gunner Stockton and Nate Frazier both return to form what could be one of the best backfields in the country, and their receivers and tight end off to the side are ready to help improve the passing attack this season.
One battle that everyone should pay close attention to is the backup QB competition behind Stockton. Ryan Puglisi held that role all last season, but Ryan Montgomery closed the gap throughout fall camp. Puglisi more than likely will be listed at No. 2 on their depth chart, but Kirby Smart has said that he hopes both players get a chance to compete during their week one game as he tries to figure out who their long term backup is.
Dwight Phillips is another name to watch closely as well. He may just be the third string running back to start the year, but last season he averaged six yards per carry on just 35 carries. His role will be much larger than that this year especially considering he got some first team reps during fall camp this year.
Defense
Position | 1st-string | 2nd-string | 3rd-string |
|---|---|---|---|
DE: | Gabe Harris | Joseph Jonah-Ajonye | Isaiah Gibson |
Nose Tackle: | Xzavier McLeod | Nnamdi Ogboko | Nasir Johnson |
DT: | Elijah Griffin | Joshua Horton | Jordan Hall |
Outside LB: | Chase Linton | Quintavius Johnson | Darren Ikinnagbon |
MAC LB: | Chris Cole | Terrell Foster | Zayden Walker |
MONEY LB: | Raylen Wilson | AJ Kruah | Terrence Penick |
STAR: | Khalil Barnes | Rasean Dinkins | Tyriq Green |
Left CB: | DeMello Jones | Gentry Williams | Jontae Gilbert |
Strong Safety: | Kyron Jones | Rasean Dinkins | Zion Branch |
Free Safety: | KJ Bolden | Ja'Marley Riddle | Todd Robinson |
Right CB: | Ellis Robinson | Braylon Conley | Justice Fitzpatrick |
The stars of the Georgia defense is the Bulldogs secondary. Both Ellis Robinson and KJ Bolden are projected first round NFL Draft picks and Kyron Jones is back from an injury that kept him sidelined for the second half of last season. They made life extremely difficult for Georgia's pass catchers during camp, and the hope is that this trend will continue throughout the season.
Georgia's pass rush is where there are some questions that need to be answered. Georgia ranked dead last in the SEC last year in total sacks and if they want to win a national championship that can't happen this season. There is plenty of talent across the board, but talent doesn't mean anything if they don't produce results and last year they didn't produce enough.
The first three weeks of Georgia's season will give every player an opportunity to climb up the depth chart. Tennessee State and Western Kentucky provide no real challenge to Georgia, and their week three matchup at Arkansas could be their easiest test in the SEC as well. These three games should all be comfortable wins for Georgia meaning the backups will have a chance to play and climb up the depth chart before the meat of Georgia's season begins.
Kickoff against Tennessee State is only a few days away, and Saturday marks what could be the start of another special season in Athens.
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