Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart commented on Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s decision to enter the transfer portal.

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart speaks to reporters on Tuesday April 1, 2025

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart speaks to reporters on

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart commented on Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s decision to enter the transfer portal.

The Tennessee Volunteers were mainstays in the headlines this weekend as starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava entered the transfer portal following “negotiations” with the Volunteers for NIL compensation.

The story is extremly unique ine college sports as it is one of the first times a player has publicly elected to transfer from a major team due to NIL negotiations. Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart commented on the situation following his team’s inter-squad scrimmage, “G-Day” and stated that he is unsure that the upcoming House vs NCAA settlement will prevent situations such as Iamaleava’s from occurring in the future.

“I don’t know if the outside [House vs. NCAA] is gonna have any effect on the flow of players. That’s not really what the house settlement is meant to do”. Said Smart. “It could increase it if more teams have money… I can’t foresee that, it’s been spiraling and it’s continuing to spiral. I don’t what reigns it in. I don’t know if there’s anything that anybody can do to reign it in.”

The Bulldogs and Volunteers will face off this season in Knoxville on September 13th. The Dawgs are currently on an eight-game win streak against the Volunteers.

Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver, Dillon Bell, is expected to take on a larger role in the running game this season.

Bell, who has steadily increased his receiving yards each season, is also working to improve his pass-catching consistency.

Bell’s younger brother, Micah, recently transferred to Georgia and is competing for playing time at the running back position.

The brothers are using their competitive spirit to push each other to improve both on and off the field.

It’s back to the future of sorts for Dillon Bell.

The Georgia football senior wide receiver had the third-most carries of any player two years ago for a backfield depleted by injuries.

Now the Bulldogs’ leading returning receiver from last year’s team is being prepped to carry a bigger load again to help a running back corps that this spring is led by sophomore Nate Frazier and freshman Bo Walker after Trevor Etienne declared for the NFL Draft.

“I feel like me being versatile, helping the team as much as I can, I feel like that was something I wanted to do for the team,” Bell said. “I’m a team player. I’ll do whatever it takes to win championships.”

Bell has increased his catch total in each of his three Georgia seasons. The Houston native had 20 for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2022, 29 for 355 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2023 and 43 for 466 and yards 4 touchdowns last season.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Bell drew comparisons to Deebo Samuel, the versatile former South Carolina and current NFL star, when he rushed for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries as a sophomore but he had just 107 yards on 9 carries and a touchdown last year.

“Dillon Bell has taken some reps there,” coach Kirby Smart said. “We mix Dillon in practice to practice. He works in the slot. He’s trying to develop as a wide receiver and a back. He’s been great and in a good attitude and being committed to, ‘Coach, if it means me playing 10, 15 snaps at back, I want to do it. If I can develop as a slot, I want to do it.’”

Bell had his share of drops last season — 6 for a 12.2% drop rate, according to Pro Football Focus.

He leads a receiver group that includes Texas A&M transfer Noah Thomas and Southern Cal transfer Zachariah Branch.

“He’s a great guy and he’s a great player as well,” Branch said of Bell. “He brings that passion and fire to the group and he’s done a great job helping me learn the offense as well. I definitely do appreciate him and everything he’s helped me get to throughout this process. He’s doing really good out there and I’m trying to learn a lot from him.”

Smart said the offense had some explosive runs in the team’s first spring scrimmage last Saturday, but he’s looking for more from both the run game and the run defense.

“It’s not where it needs to be on either side of the ball, to be honest with you,” he said. “We don’t run the ball well or stop the run. I think a lot of that comes from a physical mentality.”

Bell’s younger brother, Micah, who transferred from Vanderbilt and previously played at Notre Dame, is a transfer running back. Dillon said he’s trying to get as fast as Micah.

“Who’s the better running back? Shoot, neither of us,” Dillon said with a big smile. “We’re both trying to get to that point where we can be great.”

Dillon pushes Micah in the weight room and Micah pushes Dillon in sprint work.

“It’s great having him here,” Dillon Bell said. “Sometimes on our rest days, we put in work with each other. It’s always great to have that with someone I’ve been living with since he was born. I push him when we’re at practice since we’re playing the same position. He’s teaching me some stuff and I’m teaching him some stuff.”

Georgia’s wide receiver room has a lot of work to do this spring.

Georgia football’s struggles at wide receiver last season have been well documented, and frankly it is the last thing any Georgia fan wants to talk about anymore. But it’s hard to erase the horror that this group caused UGA fans as they led the nation in drops in 2024.

But Georgia is now turning the page to the 2025 season where they have a revamped wide receiver room that features two star transfers who will both likely be starters for the Bulldogs. But just because Georgia has new faces in their wide receiver room doesn’t automatically mean that they will be better.

And a recent statement from Kirby Smart shows that this group has a lot of work to do if they are going to be a reliable group in the fall.

“There’s days I want to see more toughness,” Smart shared via 247sports.com. “I want to see more run-through tackles, don’t lay on the ground, don’t hold your hands up if the ball’s not in the right spot. Just, body language drives me nuts. But that’s not all of them, and they’re getting better. Day by day, they’re getting better, and there’s a good depth in that group.

Kirby Smart concerned with body language, toughness

Smart stated in the above quote that he would love to see more toughness and better body language from his wide receivers. This goes along with another statement he made in the past about the freshman wide receivers who have not been in shape which has resulted in less reps to start the spring.

Thankfully Smart said at the end of this quote that these concerns do not apply to everyone. So hopefully the players struggling with their body language will pick up on what others are doing so they can meet the standard that is required to excel at Georgia.

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Head coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are still searching for answers after two more players were arrested for driving-related incidents this spring.

Shortly after the Bulldogs began spring practice, sophomore wide receiver Nitro Tuggle was arrested for misdemeanor speeding and reckless driving after being clocked traveling 107 miles per hour on the loop outside of Athens.

Additionally, second-year offensive lineman Marques Easley was arrested on three misdemeanor charges of reckless conduct after crashing his car into an apartment close to Athens.

Georgia has suspended both players indefinitely. The Bulldogs have been the subject of more than 20 driving-related arrests since a fatal crash killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy in January of 2023.

One of the best players in the history of Georgia football, former All-American defensive end and first-round pick David Pollack addressed the situation on his show “CFB with DP.”

David Pollack celebrates with Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) after Georgia won the College Football Playoff National Championship game Joshua L. Jones

David Pollack celebrates with Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) after Georgia won the College Football Playoff National Championship game Joshua L. Jones

Unfortunately, “there is no solution” to the high-profile problem at UGA, according to Pollack.

“There is no solution,” Pollack said. “Here’s what’s happening now, the kids are getting fined, which is good. If you don’t know, we live really close to this and there’s this Athens loop and it’s Loop 10. It goes around the perimeter here of the Athens area. From what I understand, I’ve heard a bunch of good stories now about how they’ll basically time themselves going around the loop, which is extremely dangerous. Not good. Not smart. But, you know, back in the day, we didn’t have these cars because we didn’t have this money. So, mo money mo problems, right?”

Smart and his staff have instituted driving courses and informational classes on the dangers of reckless driving. And suspensions, along with NIL penalties. have been used in the past. But those efforts aren’t “sinking in” from Pollack’s perspective.

“And I can tell you this from talking to people at the school, plenty of speakers that have come in with lost loved ones,” Pollack said. “Plenty of cops that have come in. Plenty of people that have told stories… It’s not sinking in. I don’t understand it but I do understand it because I understand being young, dumb, and invincible. I remember that feeling untouchable. I was too scared to do this – I just wouldn’t have done it because of that.”

The issue isn’t entirely a Georgia problem, as programs across the country have their fair share of off-field arrests and incidents. But that doesn’t take away the spotlight on UGA.

“But I just don’t think there’s anything you can do,” Pollack said. “Fine. Kick them off the team. Suspend them indefinitely. That’s the kind of stuff you can do. Listen, that takes a paycheck away, probably. Take some of that money away and that’s probably a start. But, otherwise, I promise you Kirby probably would have figured it out.”

Georgia’s record sits at a gaudy 28-2. The Bulldogs are atop the SEC standings with a record of 8-1 three weekends into the conference campaign.

However, as head coach Wes Johnson quickly points out, that means nothing.

“This league don’t care, man. You’d better be hooked up and ready to go. They don’t care,” Johnson said after Georgia’s weekend sweep of Auburn. “I mean, you better stay humble. You better work. You better respect the game.”

The schedule is definitely about to get more interesting.

After a Tuesday night game with Queens, the Bulldogs make their first-ever trip to Austin to face No. 7 Texas (21-3, 7-1) before returning home in two weeks for three big games against No. 2 Arkansas (25-3, 7-1).

Georgia’s bats continue to create most of the headlines.

The Bulldogs entered Sunday ranked first in the conference in runs scored (306), home runs (79), RBI (277), slugging percentage (.615), and on-base percentage (.461). Georgia is third in team batting average (.318) and second in hits (.322).

For those wondering, the Bulldogs are almost halfway home to last year’s school record for home runs (151) and on pace to surpass its 2024 totals for RBI (511) and runs scored (544).

Georgia’s slugging percentage is ahead of last year’s final number of .589, while the Bulldogs’ on-base percentage is currently outpacing the .433 achieved during their run to the finals of the Athens Super Regional.

A daily reinforcement of belief that Johnson and his staff pound into their players daily continues to pay off.

Players never feel that they’re out of a game. There was no better example than Saturday’s Game 2 win over No. 11 Auburn to sweep the weekend series.

After falling behind 6-4 in the 10th, the Bulldogs roared back to win the game with five in the bottom half. The key hit a walk-off three-run homer by Daniel Jackson. Georgia scored all five runs without Auburn recording a single out.

“I think it goes to our senior leadership. You look at Nolan (McCarthy), you look at Henry (Hunter), Slate (Alford). Those guys don’t get sped up, man, either. You know, they just, they play with a slow heartbeat,” Johnson said. “It’s something we talk a lot about, never panicking. This game’s long; it’s hard to get people out. You’re seeing some of that right now.”

Georgia’s hitting has overshadowed the fact that the Bulldogs are also fielding the ball at a much better clip than they were a season ago.

The Bulldogs’ 17 errors are the third-fewest in the league behind Arkansas (13) and Vanderbilt (14).

On the mound, Georgia continues to lean on its depth to get them through games, although the starting rotation is beginning to show signs of getting the Bulldogs deeper into games.

Converted reliver Brian Curley made it through five innings for the second straight game. Meanwhile, Leighton Finley and Charlie Goldstein are making strides.

Although Finley only made it through three on Saturday, he was coming off a solid five inning effort at Florida and did not walk a batter against Auburn. Goldstein – who is coming off Interior Brace surgery – continues to get his pitch count up. The graduate senior threw 68 pitches in Friday’s opener, and although he walked four in three innings, he saw his velocity take an uptick to 91 mph.

Should Johnson decide to make a change, Kolten Smith appears to be ready to step back into a weekend role.

After his ninth-inning pep talk by Johnson, Smith has been lights out and resembling his old self. Against Auburn, pitch five innings of no-hit ball with just one walk and eight strikeouts in relief of Goldstein on Friday to allow the Bulldogs to secure their 4-1 win.

Should five innings become the norm, Georgia could become dangerous. Johnson has built a pitching staff chocked full of power arms, and there’s enough of them to spread out equally on any given weekend.

Matthew Hoskins, Tyler McLoughlin, Jordan Stephens, JT Quinn, Eric Hammond, Justin Byrd, Alton Davis II, Zach Brown, Zach Harris, and DJ Radke give the Bulldogs plenty of capable options.

Assuming Georgia’s bats stay consistent, Georgia could become even more dangerous than they are now.

“We just play the game, but you’ve got to just understand that it’s hard for those guys (other teams) too,” Johnson said. “It’s hard for them. They’ve got to execute pitches. They’ve got to throw to our guys, and our guys can hit too.”

Even dynasties need replenishing. At the nucleus of college football is that it’s a carousel rotating perpetually. Players hop on and hop off in a continuous loop. Departing graduates replaced by arriving freshmen. It’s this dynamism that makes the sport tick, makes it thrive. No matter how substandard your roster is, there’s always a chance to force a turnaround. But the inverse is also true. Great rosters at Blueblood programs always remain at risk of losing ground when the next recruiting cycle comes around. One program that deals with this brilliantly is Georgia.

The Dawgs have been uber-successful in the Kirby Smart era. Which stems from them repeatedly churning out the Top 5-ranked classes year in and year out. However, their efforts to do so in 2026 are being met with resistance from afar. All the way from the Pacific coast.

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The Oregon Ducks’ emergence as a top-end contender hasn’t been sudden or unwarranted. Them winning the B1G in Year 1 post-realignment from the PAC-12 and being unbeaten right through the regular season is a testament to how well the program recruits. Conceded, being in Nike’s backward and that Phil Knight connection does pull its weight on the NIL front.

But HC Dan Lanning is one heck of a magnet himself. Somebody Kirby Smart and Georgia know all about. Lanning’s time as DC under Smart sure has seen some of that recruiting skill permeate through to him. So much so that the apprentice is now rubbing shoulders with the master. Even threatening to overthrow him when it comes to pulling the No. 1 QB in the class of ‘26, Jared Curtis.

Jared Curtis was an early Georgia commit up until last fall. Before he rescinded his verbal to keep his options open and take visits elsewhere. Fast forward to the present day, and his official shortlist of landing spots comprises just 2 schools—Oregon and, interestingly, Georgia again. This has introduced a fascinating question.

How often do recruits decommit from a program, still name them in their final 2, and then end up going back? On3’s Ari Wasserman asked this exact question to his colleague and recruitment guru Steve Wiltfong. Given his sheer volume of experience and how closely he’s tapped into the process, Wiltfong projects as the perfect guy to ask this. Well, his answer wouldn’t please Kirby Smart.

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Which college football coach is known for his recruiting prowess and is currently competing with Kirby Smart for the top QB recruit in the class of 2026?

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Over the On3 YouTube channel, Steve Wiltfong prefaced his reply by coming clean on how he’s not got the factual answer. However, CFB circles know his own subjective opinion has as much merit as the objective truth. “You know, I [feel] like often times if [players] decommit from a school it’s hard to get them back in today’s landscape,” remarked Wiltfong. Not quite time to sound the alarm bells around Athens.

But not ideal for those of a Georgia persuasion either. Wiltfong’s mention of “today’s landscape” pertained to him talking about the NIL era. While Kirby Smart has warmed up with time, Dan Lanning certainly holds the edge. This comment from Wiltfong follows on from Jared Curtis himself, making some subtle remarks that imply he indeed might be leaning toward Oregon.

Let’s address the elephant in the room first. Jared Curtis recently announced he’ll make an official announcement about his decision on May 5th. This means he’s keeping these behemoth programs and coaches hanging for the entirety of spring. This begs the question—has Curtis warranted this amount of leverage? Certainly.

The Tennessee native forced 58 total touchdowns in his junior year at Nashville Christian. This included 40 through the air, alongside gaudy 2,830 yards at a completion rate north of 70% A Gatorade POTY for Tennessee; prospects of this ilk don’t come around often. While Curtis has been airing on the side of diplomacy and not been letting too much out, there’s reason to believe protege Dan Lanning may just be about to pip Kirby Smart and add Curtis to what’s already a stacked Oregon class of ‘26.

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Kirby Smart at risk of being shown up by former assistant Dan Lanning

Jared Curtis has been to Eugene thrice since his decommitment from Georgia. During these visits, he really hit it off with Oregon OC Will Stein. “Me and Coach Stein’s relationship is really good,” said Curtis to On3. “My mom and dad really like it up [there]. What they do in their offense with the quarterbacks and getting players around them…They’re well coached and they’re disciplined and I think they’re hungry to go get it.”

It could be nothing at all, but Curtis’ parents “really” liking Oregon is telling. Especially when you consider Georgia’s litany of issues off the field. Almost all of these pertain to recurring motor-related penalties and arrests, which have scarred the image of Kirby Smart’s program.

Over 2 dozen student Georgia athletes have been arrested and/or been hit with DUIs since 2023. It’s not far-fetched to think Jared Curtis’ parents would factor that into the decision-making process. Additionally, there’s another reason to believe Curtis is a future Oregon enrollee.

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Jared Curtis has admittedly fallen in love with Autzen Stadium. “The stadium was the most impressing thing,” he said. “The atmosphere…me and my dad came up [there and] we loved it. With 55,000 people, it as probably one of the loudest stadiums I’ve been in,” said Curtis. He attended a game against the Maryland Terps last season.

Listen, this recruitment very much still hangs in the balance. Steve Wiltfong himself attested to that. But one thing is definitive—Coach Smart and Co. need to be wary of this traction and momentum Oregon seems to be gaining. Dan Lanning is notorious for pulling last-minute rabbits out of proverbial hats on the recruitment front. Just ask Ryan Day what went down with Na’eem Offord!

Every weekend at Georgia is a busy one, but Friday and Saturday of this week have presented a lot of major stories surrounding Georgia athletics.

All of the news however is unfortunately not good news, so let’s dive right in beginning with the best thing to happen in Athens so far this weekend.

Georgia football adds new in-state commit

The last time Georgia football earned a commitment was back on Jan. 30. That however changed this weekend as the Bulldogs secured a commitment from three-star in-state wide receiver Brady Marchese.

Marchese marks the sixth commit of the 2026 class and the second wide receiver. Kirby Smart and his staff still have a long way to go with this recruiting class, but so far they are doing an excellent job at identifying talent that fits the identity of the program.

Georgia’s first spring ball injury

It’s nearly impossible to go the entire spring without an injury, but that doesn’t make it any easier when they happen. Heading into spring ball, Smart detailed 11 injuries Georgia was working through already, but that number increased by one when freshman wide receiver Tyler Williams reportedly tore some ligaments in his ankle that will require surgery.

It is unfortunate for Williams to miss all of spring and likely most of the offseason with this injury, but the hope is that he will be 100 percent by the time the regular season rolls around this fall.

Ever since Carson Beck transferred from Georgia to Miami (FL), he has been unable to stay out of the news. The most recent off the field drama is surrounding him and his girlfriend, star Hurricanes basketball player Hanna Cavinder, breaking up. And the reason for the breakup is rumored to be caused from Beck cheating on her.

Beck’s tenure in Miami is off to a rocky start, and unfortunately for him the season doesn’t begin for a few months still. So it will be quite some time before any Miami fans are able to see something from him beyond the off the field drama.

The Georgia Bulldogs have a decision to make at quarterback this upcoming college football season. Yet, head coach Kirby Smart already has his eyes on the top quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class.

For 2025, Gunner Stockton is the favorite to be the next Dawgs starting quarterback, but the signal-caller will face competition. Highly touted freshman Ryan Montgomery is expected to be in the mix as well as redshirt freshman Ryan Puglisi.

Stockton has the advantage of playing in the SEC championship as well as College Football Playoff, which could end up being the trump card in the competition.

On the recruiting trail, Georgia is part of the biggest battle in the country for five-star quarterback Jared Curtis. The Nashville Christian (Tenn.) product has narrowed his choices down to Georgia and Oregon Ducks.

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Georgia Bulldogs head football coach Kirby Smart reacts at a Dawgs basketball game. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Curtis is coming off a visit to Eugene, Ore., and Georgia is fighting against Nike money in the NIL battle. The good news for the Bulldogs is that Curtis is now heading to Athens, Ga., for another visit with Smart and company.

On3.com projects Curtis’ NIL value is $2.7 million, a number that has been as high as $3 million.

“Exact numbers I don’t have, but I think this is one they [Oregon] won’t be outbid on,” On3’s ScoopDuck’s Justin Hopkins told Pete Nakos on Thursday. “If he goes to Georgia, it was the only thing they couldn’t overcome: Distance.”

Curtis is a former Georgia commitment but reopened his recruitment last fall. On3.com’s latest projections now has the Bulldogs overtaking the Ducks as the favorite to land Curtis, despite the quarterback’s recent visit to Oregon.

Georgia has a 37% chance to land Curtis while Oregon has been given 31% odds in the recruiting standoff, per On3. Curtis would not help the Dawgs this season, but could be the program’s quarterback of the future beginning in 2026.

Landing Curtis would also be a massive boost for Georgia in recruiting as the Bulldogs make a push to sign other top players in the 2026 class.

Five-star quarterback recruit Jared Curtis