2025 marked UGA’s third consecutive season without a playoff win. There will be significant pressure on Kirby Smart to make a deeper championship run in 2026. Georgia’s pursuit to reclaim its spot on top of the college football mountaintop will start with building the roster that will take it there.
Jan. 16 was the official end of the 2026 transfer portal window. Players in the transfer portal can still commit to new schools past the deadline, but players can no longer enter the transfer portal. Most highly sought-after prospects have already made commitments. UGA had 15 total players enter the transfer portal but also added nine new players to its roster through the portal.
So the burning question to be answered is, with the additions and departures, did Georgia get better or worse?
Let’s break down every player the Bulldogs gained and lost and how they did overall in one of the most crucial aspects of the new landscape of college football.
Every player UGA lost to the transfer portal
Georgia lost a total of 15 players to the transfer portal. See below for the full list of players who will be playing elsewhere next season.
- OT Nyier Daniels — Undecided
- OL Kelton Smith Jr. — Georgia State
- EDGE Elo Modozie — Purdue
- CB Dominick Kelly — Ohio State
- OT Jamal Meriweather — Undecided
- S Joenel Aguero — Ole Miss
- OT Bo Hughley — Colorado
- CB Ondre Evans — North Carolina State
- S Adrian Maddox — Kansas State
- S Jaden Harris — Kansas
- LB Kris Jones — Undecided
- DL Jordan Thomas — South Carolina
- RB Roderick Robinson — UAB
- TE Pearce Spurlin — Colorado State
- CB Daniel Harris — Cal
Eleven of the 15 players were given ratings as transfer recruits by 247Sports. Ten of them were given three-star ratings, and pass rusher Elo Modozie was given four stars. Safety Joenel Aguero was the only former starter who entered the portal. Offensive tackle Bo Hughley was in line to be a potential starter in 2026. At the end of the day, the Dawgs lost two potential starters for the 2026 team.
There is a reason the rest of those players were at UGA — Kirby Smart would have liked to keep developing them. When you consider the volatile state of the portal era, losing one rotational starter and a potential starter isn’t bad, especially after almost losing stars like Nate Frazier, Chauncey Bowens and KJ Bolden (rumored). All things considered, UGA made it out of the transfer window pretty unscathed.
Every player UGA gained from the transfer portal
Georgia added nine total players from the transfer portal. See below for the full list of future Bulldogs.
WR, Isiah Canion — Georgia Tech
EDGE, Amaris Williams — Auburn
S, Ja’Marley Riddle — East Carolina
CB, Braylon Conley — USC
S, Khalil Barnes — Clemson
RB, Dante Dowdell — Kentucky
QB, Bryson Beaver — Oregon
CB, Gentry Williams — Oklahoma
Kirby Smart didn’t make any huge splashes in the portal, but picked up several players who can heavily contribute in 2026.
Georgia will see almost all of its 2025 wide receiver production leave for the NFL, so Isiah Canion will have a chance to be a top pass-catcher in 2026.
Smart also added three potential starters to the defense in pass rusher Amaris Williams and safeties Khalil Barnes and Ja’Marley Riddle.
Cornerbacks Gentry Williams and Braylon Conley are not projected starters, but both have had meaningful starts at top programs.
UGA most likely did not have a superstar pickup like Zachariah Branch. It did, however, plug the needed holes with players who have produced for top teams in the country.
Did Georgia win or lose the transfer portal season?
There are two ways to look at this question.
First, did Georgia come out better after what it gained and lost? I think it definitely did. Outside of one starter, UGA did not lose much 2025 or projected 2026 production. It did, however, add three to four players who will probably be significant contributors in 2026, as well as others who will play.
Second, with how crucial the transfer portal is in today’s game, did Georgia do as well as most would like to see? Probably not. UGA finished with the No. 30-ranked transfer class, according to 247Sports. While UGA did make some important pickups for the 2026 team, it does not look like Kirby Smart landed any superstar talent.
Bulldog fans were hoping for a game-changer like Cam Coleman, but it did not happen. This means one of two things, but more likely it’s a bit of both: Kirby Smart has faith in his roster, and the players UGA has developed over transfers, and Georgia is not willing to shell out top dollar for star transfers. I don’t think UGA is unwilling to pay if needed, but Smart trusts his players, so Georgia doesn’t feel the need to.
It is impossible to say now if it is a win or a loss until we see the results in 2026. It does, however, go against the philosophy that has consistently created success for the top-performing programs of the last few years. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has faced significant scrutiny for his resistance to using the transfer portal. Many have attributed Swinney’s unwillingness to adapt as the cause of the downfall of Clemson’s program.
If there is one person I trust to go against the status quo and still succeed, it’s Kirby Smart.
