Morning, y’all — and Happy Monday!

Before I say anything else, I have to give a huge shoutout to Nick Chubb, who announced his retirement over the weekend.

Chubb played at Georgia when I was there as a student, and I can’t even count all the memories I have of him dominating on the football field. He persevered after a brutal knee injury and ended up with 4,769 rushing yards for the Bulldogs, second to Herschel Walker in career rushing yards.

In the NFL, he became a four-time Pro Bowler for the Browns.

He is, simply, a DGD, and I couldn’t start the newsletter out any other way.

Switching gears a bit, I hope everyone enjoyed our feature on Friday, where the staff filled in this blank: “Georgia will have its best shot at winning a national championship if …”

You can read our answers here.

Obviously, to actually win a title, countless things must go right, from staying healthy to scheme to dominating in multiple position groups on the field.

For now, as Georgia’s season draws closer, let’s talk about things that have gone right for a few players in fall camp:

Georgia football winners and losers coming out of fall camp

Winner: Ellis Robinson

The third-year cornerback has the talent to be the best defender on Georgia’s team.

He opens the season as a preseason All-American. And to this point, he’s arguably been Georgia’s top player in practices.

Robinson has made life incredibly difficult for Georgia’s wide receivers in fall camp. It seems the always talented Robinson is now operating with maximum confidence. He made multiple disruptive plays in Georgia’s most recent scrimmage.

“Just playing last year, you have to have confidence out there on the field,” Robinson said. “So it all starts in practice. You have confidence in practice, you have confidence in the game, too.”

On the best teams, your best players double as your hardest workers. That seems to be the case for Robinson in the month of August.

Robinson led the SEC in interceptions last season. He entered this season as an established good player.

But the Georgia cornerback has sent a clear message in August. His goal in 2026 is to be undeniably great.

Georgia defensive back Ellis Robinson IV (left) blocks an attempted pass to Ole Miss wide receiver Deuce Alexander during the Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New Orleans. (Hyosub/AJC)

Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams (right) is unable to catch an intended touchdown pass under pressure from Georgia defensive back Ellis Robinson IV during the SEC championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Georgia defensive back Ellis Robinson IV (left) intercepts a pass intended for Georgia Tech wide receiver Dean Patterson on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Loser: The backup QB spot

Fall camp has made Gunner Stockton an even more important piece in the Georgia offense.

That is even while taking limited reps in Georgia’s two scrimmages. The Bulldogs hoped that one of the options behind Stockton could seize the opportunity as his backup.

That has not been the case. Quarterback Ryan Puglisi, the most veteran option behind Stockton, had multiple turnovers in Saturday’s scrimmage.

Second-year quarterbacks Ryan Montgomery and Hezekiah Millender both had some positive moments Saturday, with the former doing a good job of leading the offense.

The backup quarterback position was one of the more important position battles the team hoped to solve in fall camp.

If we had to guess today, Puglisi would still be the second quarterback to attempt a pass in a game for Georgia. But it’s still a major question mark as the season approaches.

And with how physical Stockton prefers to play, it’s a good idea to have an option you trust in case of injury. The 2021 and 2024 seasons highlight the importance of having a capable backup quarterback.

It’s unknown at best if Georgia possesses one on the 2026 roster.

Georgia backup quarterback Ryan Puglisi prepares to throw a pass during the first day of fall camp on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Athens. (Jeff Sentell/DawgNation)

Georgia quarterback Ryan Puglisi (left) gets off a pass during the G-Day spring football game at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Athens. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Winner: Jaden Reddell

For as much hand-wringing as there has been about the wide receiver room, the tight end room has answered the bell time and time again this month.

Elyiss Williams continues to stack good practice days, giving the Bulldogs another imposing option at the position. The same can be said for freshman Kaiden Prothro.

But Reddell still emerges as the big winner from the group. Perhaps no individual on Georgia’s team has had a better offseason from start to finish than the third-year tight end.

He was excellent during spring practice, capping it off on G-Day. He was one of Georgia’s more impressive players in summer workouts.

And throughout the many hot days in August, Reddell sustained his forward momentum.

The question at this point with Reddell isn’t whether or not he’ll contribute in 2026. That’s an obvious yes at this point.

He’s shown this month that it’s fair to ask just how big a piece of the offense the versatile pass catcher should be.

Georgia tight end Jaden Reddell (left) falls after making a catch during the G-Day spring football game at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Athens. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Georgia tight end Jaden Reddell (left) runs past Georgia linebacker Terrell Foster during the G-Day spring football game at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Athens. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Loser: Georgia’s young receivers

The Bulldogs have nine wide receivers on their roster who are in either their first or second year in the program.

It’s understandable to expect some growing pains with a group that is inexperienced. They don’t yet fully know what it takes to be successful football players at this level.

Coming out of Saturday’s scrimmage, it seems like Landon Roldan may be the closest. The second-year wide receiver from North Oconee High School is ready to show he’s more than just a gadget player.

But it’s been a fairly quiet fall for the likes of Talyn Taylor and CJ Wiley. Freshman Craig Dandridge had some nice moments at the start of camp, but he was reportedly in a black noncontact jersey this past Saturday.

It helps that London Humphreys, in his third year at Georgia, has performed well this fall. Georgia also likes what it has in Isiah Canion and Sacovie White-Helton, who both enter their third seasons of college football.

Georgia has three very winnable games to start the season before welcoming No. 10 Oklahoma into Sanford Stadium on Sept. 26. August has told us this position group still has a lot of growing up to do between now and the game that will pit two 2025 College Football Playoff participants against each other.

Read Connor Riley’s full story here.

Georgia wide receiver Landon Roldan (right) runs a drill during the Bulldogs' first fall football practice on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Athens. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Advertisement

Trivia time

Can you guess the record of Georgia’s 2026 senior class entering this season?

Stockton bulletin board filling up, ESPN rate several QBs higher

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton might not have a bulletin board, but if he did, an ESPN NFL draft analyst provide more material for it.

Stockton, per ESPN’s Jordan Reid, is among the collegiate quarterbacks in the “Round 7” tier.

The Bulldogs’ defense sees Stockton most every day in practice and have suggested otherwise, but their focus will soon be shifting to other quarterbacks as Georgia will face its fair share of them.

The Bulldogs don’t have Notre Dame, Texas or Oregon on their regular-season schedule, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see any of them — or perhaps even all of them — in the postseason.

Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, Texas’ Arch Manning and Oregon’s Dante Moore are three of the “Round 1” tier quarterbacks (Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker is the other).

Carr is celebrated for his arm strength, feet and vision, along with his ability to process plays quickly.

Manning, in addition to his famous name, has prototypical QB size at 6-4, 230, along with impressive foot speed. The analysis suggests he needs more touch in the short passing game.

Moore, who plays for coach Dan Lanning’s Ducks, could have exited college football as a first-round NFL draft pick after last season but instead chose to cash NIL checks and aim for a national championship or perhaps even the Heisman Trophy.

Moore’s mechanics are considered premium, but scouts will watch closely when he faces elite teams.

Georgia is scheduled to face two of ESPN’s Round 2 tiered quarterbacks in the regular season, at that, only two weeks apart.

Read Mike Griffith’s full story here.

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (left) dives into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown run against Ole Miss during the Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New Orleans. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton answers journalists' questions during media day ahead of the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in New Orleans. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton throws his first touchdown to Roderick Robinson II (not pictured) during their SEC championship game against Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Advertisement

Trivia answer

36-6