Not only have we made it to Friday, but we’ve also made it through July. And they say August slips away like a bottle of wine, so college football is not that far off.

When Georgia and Clemson have met on the field of late, Georgia has found a way to stymie the one-time rivals. Consider that in the two games against Georgia since Kirby Smart took over, Clemson has scored six total points.

But when it comes to the recruiting trail, Dabo Swinney’s program has been able to win recruiting battles in this cycle.

Defensive lineman Seth Tillman, safety Jayden Aparicio-Bailey and offensive tackle JJ Brown are all blue-chip prospects who picked Clemson over Georgia.

But the Bulldogs may be in a position to swipe a coveted target from Clemson; 4-star safety Seth Williams will announce his decision Friday.

DawgNation will have you covered with the announcement, which is expected to be made shortly after 6 p.m.

Georgia has the No. 12-ranked recruiting class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings, just ahead of Clemson. Landing Williams would ensure the Bulldogs remain ahead of Clemson both in the present and future.

More intel on 4-star target

If Georgia is going to land the services of Williams, it will be because of the pedigree of its defensive back coaches.

In speaking with Jeff Sentell of DawgNation, Williams raved about the job Kirby Smart, safeties coach Travaris Robinson and star coach Andrew Thacker have done.

Not just in his specific recruitment but also over their many years of coaching.

“The top three for me are ‘TRob’ and Kirby Smart and coach Andrew Thacker,” Williams told Sentell. “Those three guys are just, like, great in their respective fields. Coach Smart was a safety. I feel like if there were a coach I needed to play for, it would be coach Smart because, you know, he did it. He’s coached the best. He’s produced the best. And you’ve got ‘TRob,’ who’s produced some of the best, too. He’s produced and had Caleb Downs at Alabama. He had Jaycee Horn at South Carolina. He has KJ Bolden at Georgia.”

Georgia has only one other defensive back commitment in this current recruiting class. Four-star Adryan Cole committed to Georgia earlier in July.

The Bulldogs signed four safeties in the past cycle, with 4-star prospect Tyriq Green already turning heads in Athens. Georgia likes what it has at safety for the 2026 team, though Georgia is likely to see Bolden and Khalil Barnes after this season.

For more on Williams and his decision, read Sentell’s full story.

Georgia defensive lineman Elijah Griffin (center) celebrates during the Bulldogs' home game against Charlotte on Nov. 22, 2025. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Georgia Bulldogs tight end Lawson Luckie (7) is stopped by the Ole Miss Rebels during the 2026 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Georgia tight end Elyiss Williams (10) lines up during Georgia's annual G-Day spring game on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium on April 18, 2026. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)

Ethan Barbour takes part in the second day of spring practice in Athens on March 19, 2026. (Staff/DawgNation)

Tight end Jaden Reddell tries to avoid a tackle during Georgia's annual G-Day spring game on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium on April 18, 2026. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)

Georgia needs a big year from its tight ends

There’s a lot of chatter this offseason around the wide receiver position at Georgia, much of it filled by skepticism.

That discourse has somewhat clouded the optimism around the tight end room.

It is perhaps the best position group on Georgia’s roster, even after seeing Oscar Delp land with the New Orleans Saints.

“I think it’s the best tight end room in college football,” ESPN’s Cole Cubelic told DawgNation. “That’s another way to circumvent maybe not having these big boy X wide receivers that can go take over games. I think you’re gonna have multiple tight ends that can take over games at different points in time.”

The Bulldogs bring back Lawson Luckie, Elyiss Williams and Ethan Barbour from last season’s team.

Luckie was voted Second Team All-SEC at SEC media days. He looks to build off a season where he caught 15 passes for 158 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Williams and Barbour both enter their second seasons in Athens. Williams caught 7 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown last season, showing why he was a 5-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Barbour missed most of his freshman season after a gnarly ankle injury he suffered against Austin Peay. But he returned to play in the College Football Playoff and gives Georgia a versatile weapon to use

For more on the tight end position, check out the full story.

Trivia time

What was Brock Bowers’ career-high for receptions in a single season?

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Peter Burns makes it clear why Georgia > Texas

Peter Burns is one of the loudest voices in college football.

And he made it perfectly clear why Georgia is still ahead of Texas entering the 2026 season.

“They’re still the king, right,” Burns told DawgNation, “as much as Texas wants to be there. But Texas hasn’t been tough enough to go out there and punch Georgia in the mouth. They get bloodied every time they end up doing it.”

For as much hype as there has been about Texas, the Bulldogs had the same number of All-SEC selections. Both schools had 12 selections, though no school had more defenders earn nods than Georgia.

Georgia has played Texas three times over the past two seasons. The Bulldogs have won each of those contests, all of which have been played in different venues.

If Georgia and Texas are to meet this season, the earliest it could occur would be in the SEC championship game. These two enter the upcoming season as the top two teams in the league, in addition to the top national championship contenders.

Yet it’s clear Georgia has an on-field edge over the Longhorns, even with a roster as loaded as what Steve Sarkisian has assembled.

For more on the state of Georgia vs. Texas, read the full story here.

The loss that leaves you stunned in silence

What is the loss that left you in complete silence? A defeat so demoralizing you had to sit with it for a while after the game.

That was the question posed by BingebyBenge on X, formerly Twitter.

Naturally, with Georgia, there are a few good answers. The 2012 SEC Championship Game leaps to mind, when Chris Conley’s catch prevented a national championship.

Then there was the 2018 National Championship Game, when Tua Tagovailoa hit DeVonta Smith for a walk-off touchdown. The Bulldogs were three plays away from winning it all.

But for me, the loss that forced me to really stew and contemplate things came in 2014. Georgia somehow found a way to lose at home to Georgia Tech to close out the regular season.

There isn’t one single play or decision you could circle that led to the loss, though most point to Mark Richt’s decision to perform a squib kick after Hutson Mason led what should have been a game-winning drive.

Nick Chubb and Sony Michel both had goal line fumbles. Harrison Butker made a 53-yard field goal by about 5 inches. Georgia seemed to be in a great spot to steal an overtime win when Ray Drew blocked an extra point. But then Malcolm Mitchell got beat inside on a slant route in overtime and D.J. White intercepted Mason’s final pass in Sanford Stadium.

A game Georgia should have won ended with a stinging defeat to a bitter rival. Even a decade removed, it’s still the Georgia loss that is the most annoying to think about.

So what’s your answer? What is the Georgia game that left you stunned in silence?

Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker hits a 53-yard field goal to tie the game at the end of regulation in 2014. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

In the 109th playing of the Tech-Georgia game, the Yellow Jackets ended the Bulldogs' five-game winning streak in the series with a 30-24 overtime win at Sanford Stadium. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb is brought down by Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets linebacker Quayshawn Nealy on Nov. 29, 2014. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Then-head coach Mark Richt instructs the Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on Nov. 29, 2014. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

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Trivia answer

Bowers’s career-high was 63. He had that many during Georgia’s 2022 season, which ended with a national championship.