Happy Friday, DawgNation! I’d encourage you to listen to DawgNation Daily today. I recorded an interview Thursday afternoon to air today with the former Georgia great David Pollack.
We obviously talked plenty about UGA and its outlook for the upcoming season, and David was as outspoken as ever on the next steps for Gunner Stockton, the Bulldogs defense’s attempt to upgrade its pass rush and how Kirby Smart is navigating a challenging landscape across college football where some of his competition is allegedly spending $40 million or more on their rosters.
However, the best stuff from my conversation with David involves his brand new book, “Every Day Counts.” David tells compelling stories about some of the challenges he and his family have faced through the years -- including his wife’s recent battle with brain cancer.
I think every Georgia fan will be encouraged by the perspective he shares.
Hope you have a great weekend, and check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
Which former Georgia football was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
CBS Sports analyst explains why Georgia will exceed expectations in 2026
Expectations are always a bit tricky at Georgia. The Bulldogs have won the SEC in each of the last two seasons, only to lose in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.
“We’re a lot more hungry,” linebacker Justin Williams said. “You have a lot more younger guys that don’t know what to expect. So they just go out there and have a lot more fun. So they’re gonna play today fast. And that’s all they know how to do, is play fast. And us older guys that are year three, year two, year four, we just go out there and have fun.”
To do that, Georgia will once again have to make the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs will face a new challenge in 2026, with the SEC moving to a nine-game conference schedule.
Yet John Talty of CBS Sports believes the Bulldogs have a relatively navigable slate in 2026. Georgia has conference home games against Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Missouri. The Bulldogs will visit Arkansas, Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina, while facing Florida in Atlanta.
Combine the schedule with Georgia’s returning talent and Talty believes the Bulldogs will comfortably clear their win total of 9.5 per Fan Duel.
“The last time Kirby Smart won less than 10 games in a full season was back in 2016, his first year in Athens,” Talty said. “With a pretty manageable conference slate in 2026, you should be bullish about the Bulldogs’ chances of besting expectations. Even with this high number, I love the Bulldogs to surpass it.”
The rankings are not ranking properly when it comes to the regard the Georgia football program has for Pennsylvania 4-star tackle Jimmy Kalis.
The 6-foot-8, 290-pounder is the son of a former NFL offensive lineman, Todd Kalis. He works out every day with another 4-star 2027 tackle committed to Notre Dame.
Kemon Spell, Georgia’s centerpiece recruit of the 2027 class, sends him timely reminders that he knows his home is in Athens.
Georgia’s coaches have even told him that they want both his parents with him on every visit.
Coachable. Massive. Physical. Technically sound. Violent. Those words string together like pearls to describe his junior tape. But there’s a new word to add to that strand.
“It’s that passion for the game he got, man, it’s different.”
Ethan Barbour won’t be overlooked in Georgia TE room
Ethan Barbour is not Georgia’s biggest tight end, as Elyiss Williams holds that distinction. He is not the fastest either, as that would be Jaden Reddell.
He is neither the oldest, Lawson Luckie, nor the newest, Georgia signed three tight ends in the 2026 recruiting cycle, tight end in Todd Hartley’s talented room.
Despite having none of those titles, Barbour still finds ways to stand out. That’s why his practice helmet is blue, signaling that Georgia loves all the intangible skills Barbour brings to the table.
“Just a hard worker, man,” safety KJ Bolden said of Barbour. “He loves football. He gives everything he got to the team. He’s giving it his all every time he’d go out on the field. It don’t matter if it’s blocking, running routes. He’d just do whatever the team needs him to do, and you can just tell this guy loves Georgia, man. He’s gonna be a big part of what we do.”
The blue guardian cap, seen above, first came into existence last year for Georgia to signify who was displaying great fire, passion and energy during practice.
It’s a sign to measure who is leading and has the mental makeup to be a strong football player.
If there is one modifier to describe Barbour, it would be toughness, as the redshirt freshman is both physically and mentally strong.
