Athens Dawg Report
Independent Georgia Bulldogs Coverage · athensdawgreport.com
Independent fan publication. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the University of Georgia or the UGA Athletic Association.
Roster
A projected two-deep for offense, defense and special teams, profiles of the coaching staff, and what the key returners actually did last season. Compiled from public reporting; Georgia does not publish a conventional depth chart.
Offense
Six All-SEC picks on this side of the ball. The line and the tight ends are strengths; the receiver room was rebuilt almost from scratch.
Defense
Georgia plays a 3–4 base but lives in nickel, so the "STAR" — the slot defender — is effectively a starter. Read this as three down linemen, an edge, two inside backers and five defensive backs.
Special teams
Peyton Woodring is one of the best kickers in the country. Georgia also has to replace a Ray Guy Award-winning punter and an award-winning long snapper in the same year.
Numbers
Quarterback
269-386 · 2,894 yds · 24 TD · 5 INT
462 rush yds · 10 rush TD
Seventh in the Heisman voting. Ten rushing touchdowns led all SEC quarterbacks and made him the first Georgia quarterback to lead the team in rushing scores since Frank Sinkwich in 1942.
Running back
173 car · 947 yds · 6 TD
16 rec · 116 yds · 1 TD
Fought fumbles early, finished strong. Second-team preseason All-SEC.
Cornerback
20 tackles · 7 PBU · 4 INT
FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year, the first Georgia player to win it. Four interceptions tied for the SEC lead.
Safety
76 tackles · 5 PBU · 2.5 TFL · 2 INT
First-team preseason All-SEC and the veteran voice in the secondary.
Linebacker
59 tackles · 4.5 sacks · 7 TFL
Team-high in sacks on a defense that managed only 20 all season — the number Georgia most needs to move.
Kicker
17-19 FG (89%) · long 53 · perfect on PATs
Both misses came from 40-plus. He has made all 173 extra points of his career, second in program history.
Staff
Two experienced coordinators, both under real pressure to finish a season, and a first-year offensive line coach.
Head coach · 11th season
Took over in 2016 after nine years on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama, most of it running the defense. Won national titles after the 2021 and 2022 seasons — the first back-to-back since Alabama in 2011–12. His identity has never changed: run the football, stop the run, recruit and develop high school players rather than rent them from the portal. The open question in year 11 is January, not September — Georgia has won the SEC two years running and lost its first playoff game both times.
Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks · 4th consecutive year as OC
A former Georgia quarterback whose association with the program stretches back decades; this is roughly his 20th season on a Georgia staff across two stints. Promoted when Todd Monken left for the NFL. The offense averaged 32.1 points a game in 2025 and finished fourth in the SEC in rushing at 182.1 yards a game. He was a Broyles Award finalist for the second time in three years. The criticism that follows him is a passing game built on screens and short throws.
Defensive coordinator / inside linebackers · 8th season
One of the most sought-after assistants in the country and repeatedly a head-coaching candidate. His run defense was a top-five unit again in 2025. The pass defense gave up too many explosive plays, particularly against Ole Miss and Tennessee, which is the thing to fix this fall.
Co-defensive coordinator / defensive backs · 3rd season
Works the secondary alongside Donte Williams. Has helped turn a young defensive backfield into the strength of the team.
Offensive line · 1st season in the role
The notable staff change of the offseason. Promoted from analyst in January when Stacy Searels — a 30-plus-year offensive line coach — moved into an analyst role. Most of Rauscher's experience is at the NFL level. He inherits a line with two first-team preseason All-SEC picks and real questions about depth.
Running backs
Georgia's ground game jumped nearly 58 yards a game in his second season after a rough first year. He now has one of the deepest backfields in the league.
Tight ends
Runs what is arguably the best tight end room in college football and just landed the top tight end recruit in the country. With the receivers rebuilt, his group will be asked to carry more of the passing game.
Defensive backs / recruiting
Brought in before the 2024 season with a reputation as an elite recruiter, and has since backed it up on the field as well as on the trail.
Go deeper
Height, weight, hometown, how they got here and what they actually do well — in the 2026 Season Guide.