Georgia began spring practice last month and will conclude it with the annual G-Day scrimmage at 1 p.m. this Saturday at Sanford Stadium in Athens.
After Carson Beck transferred to Miami in the offseason instead of entering the NFL Draft, Georgia began the spring with a quarterback battle between redshirt junior Gunner Stockton and redshirt freshman Ryan Puglisi.
Stockton performed well in the SEC Championship Game after Beck left with an injury. He helped lead the Bulldogs to victory and started in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame, where he again had a few bright spots. However, Puglisi is a name to watch as he has a strong arm and has tested Stockton throughout the spring.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart likes competition and didn’t reveal who had the upper hand at calling shots earlier this spring.
“As far as quarterback, it’s just like every other position,” Smart insisted during a press conference in March. “Every day, you’re fighting and trying to compete with the other guy. You think it’s ‘coach speak,’ but it’s really not. In the spring, there is no depth chart. There are just reps, and in the spring, we’re giving reps out. We’re getting four reps with four groups at some positions, and we want to see all those guys compete and get better.”
Georgia has always had talent on the defensive line under coach Tray Scott, though the Bulldogs have struggled to find a true star since the end of the 2021 and 2022 seasons when they lost Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter.
In the offseason, Georgia lost Nazir Stackhouse, Warren Brinson, and Tyrion Ingram Dawkins. These three veterans played on the interior, and while they were effective, they weren’t game wreckers like Davis or Carter.
This season, the Bulldogs have a lot of potential as Jordan Hall, Christen Miller, and Xzavier McLeod return. However, they will have to hold off a talented freshman in former five-star Savannah native Elijah Griffin.
A few other returning players like Quintavius Johnson, Jordan Thomas, Nmandi Ogboko, and Nasir Johnson will be hard to keep off the field.
Smart said he saw a lot of “improvement” from the defensive line through the spring.
“I think Trey [Scott] does a tremendous job with his group. We’ve not had Christen [Miller] out there, obviously, with the surgery. So, there’s been a lot of young guys getting work,” the coach said.
“I’ve really been impressed with Nnamdi [Ogboko] and Jordan [Thomas] and Nas [Johnson]. They’re working their tails off to get better. They’re buying in. They’ve seen what Trey has done with guys in their second year, with guys in their third year, and then guys in their fourth year really do well here. So, they’re buying into that.”
Georgia got two key transfers from the portal in the offseason at two positions of need: wide receiver and safety.
Brothers Zachariah and Zion Branch left USC to become Bulldogs. Both come with vast experience at each position.
Zachariah Branch is an elite wideout who totaled 873 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons with the Trojans. He and Texas A&M transfer Noah Thomas are great additions to a room that struggled last year with drops. He is also a speedster who will likely fill the Y-position on the offense, replacing Arian Smith.
Zion Branch will likely rotate around different positions in the Georgia secondary between safety and nickelback. The losses of Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson to the NFL Draft hurt the Bulldogs at the safety position.
Georgia lacks depth at safety, but the return of starter KJ Bolden is significant. The addition of Branch, who has extensive experience at the Power Four level, alongside Jaden Harris and Adrian Maddox, is crucial for the Bulldogs.
Smart said the two brothers are still adjusting to life at Georgia.
“Well, they both love football, and that’s the number-one quality you’ve got to have at Georgia. You better love it and be passionate about it. I do believe that. They love football,” Smart said. “They're still adjusting to the speed of practice, tempo of practice, volume of practice. It’s all the things that they wanted to come here for, which is the intensity, the competition, the good on good, the grind, let’s call it, and they embrace that.”