I participated in one of my favorite summer traditions this week. I went to my local bookstore and bought a couple of college football magazines.
I’ve always loved those things even though the mystique around them isn’t quite what it used to be.
College football’s news cycle is fast-paced. These preseason guides had to have been sent to the printer months ago. There’s no telling how much has changed since the type was set (Is that how magazines are printed?).
Not to mention magazines are the only product I know of that, as they’ve gotten less popular, have also somehow gotten more expensive. For context, I paid about $30 for the two I purchased.
Yet nevertheless, I’ll keep buying them as long as they keep making them. Because in a time of constant change, it’s nice to know some things don’t change.
For the rest of the news, check out our coverage below.
Trivia time
How many 5-star wide receivers has Kirby Smart signed?
Happy guessing! Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.
Hype continues to build for transfer linebacker
Elo Modozie has not been at Georgia for very long. He announced he would be transferring to the program in April after spending the previous two years at Army.
Yet the expectations for Modozie are incredibly high. Georgia has a major need at outside linebacker and Modozie is seen as someone who can help right away at the position.
But ESPN’s Cole Cubelic thinks that with a little time in the weight room, Modozie can be a lot more than just a warm body at Georgia’s biggest position of need.
“I think (he) has the ability, if he can add 8 to 12 pounds before he enters the season, he can be as dominant of an edge defender as there is in this league,” Cubelic said on his podcast, “Cube Show.” “And trust me, we’re about to get to some real edge guys in the next two groups. He has that kind of twitch, that kind of motor, that kind of ability, that kind of just get off and want to as anybody I’ve seen in the nation, that kid’s got it.”
Modozie had 6.5 sacks last season for Army. He’ll have to make an adjustment to life in the SEC.
Georgia won’t just be counting on Modozie at the position, as Gabe Harris is likely to be equally important for Georgia in 2025. He’s spent time playing all over the defensive line in his first two seasons at Georgia.
Yet because Harris didn’t arrive via the transfer portal, he seems to be falling through the cracks a little bit. At least in comparison to Modozie.
Time will tell if Modozie is able to be one of the most disruptive edge defenders in the SEC. If he is, Georgia should once again have a dominant defense in 2025.
For more on Modozie and his outlook for the 2025 season, check out Connor Riley’s article below.
Could Georgia be making more trips to Mercedes-Benz Stadium?
Mercedes-Benz Stadium has become a home away from home for Georgia. The Bulldogs have played 12 games in the building since Kirby Smart became the team’s head coach.
Georgia has at least two future games scheduled in the building. Georgia will face Georgia Tech this season and then take on Florida in 2026. Both games will be a part of the Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic, a new annual college football series that will be played in Atlanta.
The games against Florida and Georgia Tech are the first two as a part of the series. Per a news release, the annual series plans “to host powerhouse college football programs and storied rivalries on one of college football’s biggest stages.”
Could that mean they lean on Georgia more often than not? The Bulldogs are just up the road and certainly qualify as one of the bigger brands in college football.
Georgia also has plenty of rivals to pick from, as Florida, Auburn, Tennessee and Georgia Tech all come to mind.
The problem is that the Georgia-Florida game is set to go to Tampa, Florida, in 2027 and then return to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2028. Furthermore, unless the Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic is willing to shell out top dollar for Georgia to come, it doesn’t make much sense to give up a potential home rivalry game. Georgia Tech made that choice for this coming season, but Georgia is nowhere near as cash-strapped as the Yellow Jackets.
That’s before factoring in the idea that you’re leaving a college campus to play a college football game. No one should be in favor of that proposal.
For more on the new series in Atlanta, check out Riley’s article below.
Gunner Stockton gets more national media disrespect
If you remove the name on the back of the jersey, Gunner Stockton has done more in his college career than Texas’ Arch Manning.
The latter has just 12 more pass attempts in his career than Stockton. Yet entering next season, the gap in perception between Manning and Stockton might as well be 12,000 passes.
Josh Pate of CBS Sports unveiled his SEC quarterback rankings for the 2025 season this week. Pate had Manning at No. 2. Stockton, who led Georgia to a win over Manning’s Texas Longhorns in the SEC Championship game last year, did not crack the list.
It’s easy to get why Manning is that high. It’s his last name. The Manning family name is SEC royalty. Add in that he was a 5-star recruit and you can see how, for some, that’s enough to shoot Manning up the rankings.
Stockton, conversely, was not a 5-star recruit. He’s never cared for or attracted the attention that Manning has. He’d much rather be the small-town boy from Kansas rather than the adored superhero.
There are other quibbles to be had with Pate’s list but it’s important to remember it’s his list. One of many at this point.
We know Stockton has heard Finebaum’s criticism. Smart said as much. You can bet Smart will make sure he uses this latest list to only further flame Stockton’s development.
Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker (11) tackles Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) during the second quarter at Darrel K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on Oct. 19, 2024, in Austin, Texas.
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Quote of the Day
Kirby Smart on the importance of relationships in recruiting:
“I really believe there still does matter a relationship. And if a relationship doesn’t matter, then I’m probably not going to have a kid that wants to play hard for Georgia. Right? So, relationship matters. Work ethic matters. Like, do you want to be great? Do you have fire, passion and energy? I’ll pay for that.”
Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams further tease Georgia fans
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith never seriously considered coming to Georgia. The same can be said for Alabama’s Ryan Williams.
Williams and Smith are two of the best players, not just wide receivers, in the country. Having one of them would change the way Georgia is viewed. Both would almost certainly have Georgia as the national champion favorites.
Unfortunately, the idea of Williams and Smith playing together is really only possible in a video game. Smith is the No. 1 wide receiver for Ohio State, while Williams fills the same role for Alabama.
Smith did at least take an official visit to Georgia. But, the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 recruiting class was more involved with Ohio State and Miami in his recruitment.
As for Williams, when he reclassified to join the 2024 recruiting class, Georgia did not score an official visit.
One of the complaints of late when it comes to Georgia and recruiting has been at the wide receiver position. Landing one of Smith or Williams would have greatly altered that perception.
Georgia knows it needs game-breakers on the outside like Smith and Williams. It’s why the Bulldogs signed the wide receiver haul it did this past offseason.
The hope for the Bulldogs and wide receiver coach James Coley is that they can one day point to their own star receiver, as opposed to looking at one from Ohio State or Alabama and wondering, what if?
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Trivia answer
Two (George Pickens, Talyn Taylor)
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