The Georgia Bulldogs have plenty of pass-catching production to replace this season because six of their seven leading receivers from last year are off to the NFL.
That need is especially compounded in the slot. Dynamo receiver Zachariah Branch is now an Atlanta Falcon after a season where he caught a program record 81 passes, 54 more than the second-highest total on Georgia’s 2025 team.
This season, the player set to man the slot receiver position in Branch’s place is redshirt sophomore Sacovie White-Helton.
Sacovie White-Helton is Georgia's best chance at replacing Zachariah Branch
White-Helton is a former three-star recruit from Cartersville who has patiently waited his turn to be a featured member of Georgia’s offense. This year, it looks like it's his turn.
White-Helton caught eight passes for 70 yards last season. His most notable play was a 20-yard reception working out of the slot in Georgia’s Sugar Bowl loss to Ole Miss.
“Competitor. He’s tough, hard-nosed. He works, just loves the game,” head coach Kirby Smart said about White-Helton this spring. “He’s a joy to be around. He has a smile on his face every day. He’s just a great human being.”
White-Helton is, of course, not going to be Branch one-to-one. That’s to say he probably won’t break the school reception record. Branch is a rare talent with burst and open-field ability that only comes along so often.
But White-Helton does bring an intriguing skill set in the quest to replace Branch in the aggregate. He’s got good ball skills and possesses a knack for hauling in contested catches, which he demonstrated in last year’s spring game.
Sacovie White-Helton can beat defenders in multiple ways
White-Helton could give the Bulldogs a shifty route-runner whose jump-ball ability gives them more of a downfield threat from the slot than Branch provided. He could be key as a chain-mover and red zone threat.
This was the first catch from Sacovie White… Impressive stuff. https://t.co/42BAW48jAT pic.twitter.com/wfrojVNA6L
— Graham Coffey (@GrahamCoffeyDC) April 12, 2025
“I’m very explosive,” White-Helton said this spring. “I can attack the ball as if I was 6′5. I can make people miss. But me and Zach are two different players, and we play completely different. And kudos to him, because he did a lot for us this past year. But I just bring a whole different mindset and tempo to the game.”
Quarterback Gunner Stockton will need to improve his downfield passing in 2026, but also could still use a quick-hitter security blanket. That could be what White provides out of the slot, with some real vertical upside to go with it.
Plus, he’s rocking a new jersey number this year – No. 0. It’s a superficial change, sure, but don’t they say if you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you play good?
Now all of a sudden one of the more experienced players in Georgia’s young wide receiver room, White-Helton has assumed more of a leadership role within the group. He talked about how he’s been able to help younger players this spring, and how it’s been mutually beneficial.
“I've been in the system for two and a half years. I'm going on three,” he said. “And now I can help those younger guys play faster…. Communication is the best thing that you can do. Not only does it help that person, it helps you too…If I look to [a teammate] and communicate, that's going to help me remind myself, ‘Hey, we're going on two.’ Communication and being there for your brother definitely helps.”
With all of the turnover in Georgia’s receiving corps, Stockton needs receivers he can trust. White-Helton has been there relatively long, and that seniority could pay off in terms of getting him on-field opportunities.
He’s been biding his time, and it might pay off this season with a breakout year.
“I had a chance to either sit and pout about the situation I was in or I could learn from it,” White-Helton said. “And I chose to be a man and learn about, ‘Hey, how can I get better? How can I prove to my coaches that I'm going to be able to play next year or whenever my number’s called?”
There’s a good chance his brand new number will be called quite a bit this season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google