The early chatter regarding the 2026 season has put Georgia safety KJ Bolden in a bright spotlight. On3 recently listed Bolden as a first-teamer among its way-too-early all-Americans for the upcoming season.
This puts Bolden into a category with one of his former teammates, linebacker CJ Allen, who was getting similar accolades last year at this time to what’s being said about Bolden now.
Allen, to his credit, lived up to all that hype. He was a first-team All-SEC performer and will soon likely be a first-round draft pick.
UGA needs Bolden to travel a similar path.
Bolden’s current projections also bring to mind another dominant player at his position, Caleb Downs, who recently finished his career at Ohio State after helping lead the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2024.
It’s too soon to say Bolden will be as good as Downs was. But given the natural comparison that is bound to exist between two players who played their high school games a few miles from each other, it’s not inconceivable that Bolden could make a similar impact.
Furthermore, the Bulldogs probably need him to. Georgia coach Kirby Smart made roster retention his No. 1 focus during the open transfer portal period. There may be no better returning player that Bolden, and this year he could prove what all the fuss is about.
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Trivia time
Who was the MVP of the 2009 Capital One Bowl when Georgia football beat Michigan State?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Bolden knows what has to change for the Georgia secondary
Just moments after Georgia’s 2025 season came to an end, safety Bolden had already turned the page.
The star safety wasn’t going to hang his head after a 39-34 defeat, one that ended what was still a special season for the Bulldogs.
“The emotions are high for sure, but you just got to take it like a man,” Bolden said. “I know we can do better. We just got to keep going, keep getting better. They had a great game. They played a real great game. You know, they fought their tail off. We fought our tail off. It was just a great game out there in general. So ain’t nothing you can really do but just take it on the chest and try to find a way to get better with it.”
That someone like Bolden is already focused on improvement should no doubt excite Smart.
Why Georgia hasn’t used the transfer portal to find a starting quarterback
Georgia did dip into the transfer portal to add a quarterback this offseason.
It just wasn’t someone who is expected to push for the starting quarterback job. Bryson Beaver comes to the Bulldogs with four seasons of eligibility, having transferred after briefly enrolling at Oregon.
Beaver should be seen as a replacement for Jared Curtis, rather than someone who could push Gunner Stockton to start for Georgia in 2026.
The Bulldogs were never going to go after a top-tier transfer quarterback in this cycle. For one, Stockton was one of the better quarterbacks in the country last season.
More than that, the bidding wars for players like Brendan Sorsby, Sam Leavitt and Darian Mensah aren’t usually the waters Georgia has wanted to swim in when it comes to roster building.
Former Georgia tight end Aron White scores a touchdown during the third quarter of the 2009 Capital One Bowl.
Credit: AJC 2009
Georgia football throwback
Jan. 1, 2009: Georgia football beat Michigan State, 24-12, in the Capital One Bowl. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 250 yards with three touchdowns.
Daylen Everette reveals hardest part of leaving Georgia
Kirby Smart talks about the team’s “connection” at Georgia, and Daylen Everette is finding himself living proof of such these days.
Everette, who along with punter Brett Thorson and long snapper Beau Gardner is competing in Senior Bowl drills this week, is still adjusting to life after Georgia football.
“I really miss it, I miss being with my teammates, it’s different,” Everette said at the Panini Senior Bowl media day at the Mobile Convention Center on Wednesday.
“It’s only really been like a month, but it feels like forever, so that’s my thing, I definitely miss my guys.”
Everette has a professional football career to look forward to now, as he’s projected to be selected between the third- and fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft, depending on how he grades out in Senior Bowl practices and the Senior Bowl game (TV: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, NFL Network) and performs at the NFL combine.
The Senior Bowl practices have provided him the opportunity to audition for the NFL assistant coaches running the practices and the 28 credentialed NFL GMs and 12 head coaches.
Everette said Georgia has prepared him well for what’s at hand, as the practices are “pretty similar,” with the only adjustment being the competition he’s playing against and the new film study of quarterbacks and receivers.
Everette has had some time to reflect on his four-year career with the Bulldogs, seeing the different helmet logos on the players surrounding him each day.
