The vibe around Georgia’s spring practice feels slightly different from recent years.
It’s possible my perception doesn’t match reality, but it seems there is a renewed sense of urgency last week in comments from UGA coach Kirby Smart and some of his players.
Smart stated that he wanted his team to be more explosive on offense and disruptive on defense. Success in those areas means paying attention to statistics on both sides of the ball, and throughout the years, that’s something Smart has said he isn’t fond of doing. Yet, in this case, it might be necessary to get the Bulldogs to where they need to go.
Furthermore, quarterback Gunner Stockton mentioned not being happy with how last season ended. A season that included a second straight SEC championship and another trip to the College Football Playoff would arguably be viewed as a smashing success by many programs, but UGA isn’t like most programs.
Then finally, there was linebacker Raylen Wilson who said he came back to Georgia for his senior season because he hadn’t yet won a national championship.
Ambitious goals are easier stated than achieved, but UGA’s willingness to say them out loud could be the first step toward achieving those goals, and it should energize the fans as the Bulldogs continue their preparations for the upcoming season.
Check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
What was Georgia football’s record in its inaugural season?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Smart pushes back against returning production narrative for Georgia
Smart is somewhat aware of how his team is perceived heading into next season.
There’s been real chatter about Georgia’s returning production to this point. The Bulldogs return 14 starters from last season, tied for the second most in the country.
In terms of raw production, Georgia ranks 8th in the country per ESPN’s Bill Connelly. Just a season ago, Georgia ranked 105th in Connelly’s same metrics.
Having so many new faces didn’t impact Georgia all too much last season. The Bulldogs repeated as SEC champions and once again made it to the College Football Playoff.
As Smart looks around and sees his 2026 team through the first few practices, he can’t help but focus on all the newcomers.
“We’ve got essentially about 40 to 50 new players once you count the signees, the portals and some of the other guys,” Smart said. “As we always say, the roster turns over quickly. I’m excited about spring. We’ve got a lot of areas to work on. I’ve seen a lot of things said or written about guys coming back, number of starters.
“I’d probably look at it that we have the least number of starters coming back we’ve ever had in terms of competition for positions.”
Georgia signed a large high school recruiting class and a handful of transfers, which make up the set of newcomers.
Baseball vs. Kennesaw State: 3 p.m. at Foley Field
Playoff exit lingered all offseason for Georgia football team
It did not take Stockton long to bring up Georgia’s season-ending loss to Ole Miss.
When asked about his next steps in development, Stockton noted that last season did not go as planned. The Bulldogs went 11-1 in the regular season and then beat Alabama to win the SEC championship.
Yet the 39-34 loss to Ole Miss in Georgia’s first and only playoff game stained how many felt about the season.
“It’s probably on everybody’s mind really, but we just try not to dwell on the past, focus on the things we can still control, and that’s just getting better every day,” Wilson said.
As Georgia returned to the practice field last week, it’s clear the loss to Ole Miss, a team Georgia beat during the regular season, provided plenty of fuel this offseason.
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (center) readies to take the ball from offensive lineman Malachi Toliver during their game against Ole Miss at the 2026 Allstate Sugar Bowl. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)
Quote of the day
Stockton on learning from the 2025 season:
“It’s been great just being able to look back and the great plays, like, ‘Dang, that was pretty good.’ And then the bad ones, just like, ‘God, what was I thinking?’ But definitely being able to learn from my mistakes and be able to build on, ‘OK, that was pretty good,’ having some banked reps in that.”
Smart shares benefit of shift to one transfer portal window
Smart is all about his team building and player connection, and the head coach indicated college football’s move to one transfer portal has made for a more efficient offseason.
“I would say the biggest investment of time (in the offseason) is the portal and retaining your players, that all falls under roster management,” Smart said when asked by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution how new NIL and transfer rules have affected offseason time allocation.
“In terms of this offseason, this year is different, we haven’t had to (invest time into roster management) since the portal closed, and our roster became our roster and school started,” Smart said. “I haven’t had to invest a lot of time in that because there’s no second portal to retain your roster or go see about somebody else’s, so we’ve been able to focus a lot more on our team.”
Changes brought about by NIL and transfer portal rules has created a series of issues, including what coaches and administrative leaders have referred to as “unintended consequences.”
The NCAA football oversight committee has worked to become more proactive to eliminate — or regulate — some of those consequences with proposed legislation designed to put so-called “guard rails” in place to provide some semblance of order.
