Welcome to the offseason, friends.
The college football season continues on this week without the involvement of your Georgia Bulldogs. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a ton of Bulldog-centric news out there. Let’s get you caught up on what’s happening.
First, if you’ve been absorbed in college football to the exclusion of other pursuits you may not have been aware that both the Georgia men’s and women basketball teams have been on an absolute tear in the early season. On Saturday Mike White’s Hoop Hounds (13-1, 1-0 SEC) pulled out a thrilling 104-100 overtime win over the Auburn Tigers to open SEC play. As Dawgs247’s Jordan Hill notes, the ‘Dawgs showed a great deal of fortitude to bounce back after almost letting the game slip away.
Then yesterday Coach Abrahamson-Henderson’s team also notched an overtime SEC win, knocking off the Texas A&M Aggies 64-56. The win pushed the Lady Dawgs’ record to 15-1, 1-1 in the SEC, the team’s best start in some time. Sophomore guard Dani Carnegie in particular had a stellar outing, notching her second double-double of the year with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Obviously things could very well go sideways in conference play. But it’s looking more and more like these ‘Dawgs are something entirely different.
Most of the football news these days involves the comings and goings of NFL and transfer portal announcements. So far the Red and Black have lost only one underclassman to the draft, with defensive tackle Christen Miller announcing his intention to turn pro.
Miller was widely expected to head to the NFL, and has the potential to be a first day draft pick. The redshirt junior came back for 2025 despite being a potential pick last year and earned AP First Team All-SEC honors. Just a dang good Dawg, no matter how you slice it.
Georgia also experienced some not-unexpected transfer prot announcements with tailback Roderick Robinson, defensive tackle Jordan Thomas, and cornerback Daniel Harris all entering the annual game of musical chairs. Robinson never quite got back in the rotation at tailback after suffering a series of injuries, and seems like one of those guys who may just need a fresh start as part of a less crowded depth chart. Thomas played in five games this season but likewise played less as the season wore on and some other young contributors (especially Elijah Griffin) took more and more snaps. Harris had already announced his intention to test the portal waters after falling behind Ellis Robinson, IV and Demelo Jones on the depth chart. Here’s hoping all of them find what they’re looking for.
On the bright side, the Bulldogs did pick up the first of what should be several commitments from the portal with the announcement that Clemson safety Khalil Barnes is headed to Athens. Coach Smart has said repeatedly that his staff doesn’t pursue players in the transfer portal who won’t make an impact. And Barnes, a former North Oconee standout, could be a big contributor. He started three seasons at Clemson, picking off 7 passes and earning freshman All-American honors along the way.
I like the idea of he and KJ Bolden helming the Bulldog safety rotation in 2026, and you should too. I also expect that the Classic City Canines aren’t done in the portal. In particular I think there’s a good chance Kirby & Co. look for additional help at tailback, Edge, and perhaps receiver in the portal. Until later…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!
