Georgia didn't just make noise in the transfer portal this offseason-they managed to do something arguably more important: maintain stability. In a college football landscape where roster turnover is the new norm, Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs found a way to come out of the portal cycle stronger, not just by who they added, but by who they didn’t lose.
Let’s start with the additions. ESPN and CBS Sports both released their top 100 transfer portal player rankings this past week, and Georgia earned some recognition.
Wide receiver Isian Canion and defensive lineman Amaris Williams both appeared on both lists, signaling that Georgia didn’t just go shopping-they found value. ESPN also spotlighted Clemson safety Khalil Barnes, ranking him No. 36 overall.
Barnes brings a versatile skill set to Athens: he’s a rangy, instinctive safety with the ability to cover space and step into the box when needed. He's the kind of Swiss Army knife defensive coordinators love to scheme around.
But while the additions are solid, the real win for Georgia came in retention.
Of the 12 active players who left the program this offseason, not a single one cracked either outlet’s top 100 list. That’s a big deal.
A year ago, Georgia saw outside linebacker Damon Wilson and quarterback Carson Beck leave late in the process. Wilson’s absence was felt-Georgia’s pass rush struggled, finishing the season with just 20 sacks, and they couldn’t bring down Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss in two meetings.
And Beck? He helped guide Miami all the way to the national championship game.
That kind of loss stings.
This year, though, Smart and his staff held the line. Georgia had 16 players transfer out last offseason.
This time around, that number dropped to 12-10, if you exclude Pearce Spurlin and KJ Smith, who had to transfer after medically retiring. No other SEC team had fewer players leave.
For comparison, Texas A&M lost 14, Vanderbilt 15, and Playoff teams like Ole Miss, Oklahoma, and Alabama each saw 20-plus players walk.
In terms of on-field production, the biggest name to leave is safety Joenel Aguero, a multi-year starter now headed to Ole Miss-an opponent Georgia will face next season. That’s a loss, no doubt, but it’s not a backbreaker.
The one that might sting a bit more long-term is cornerback Dominick Kelly. A member of Georgia’s 2025 recruiting class with three years of eligibility remaining, Kelly was the only player from that 28-man class to transfer.
And he didn’t just go anywhere-he landed at Ohio State. That tells you how highly the Buckeyes think of his potential.
Still, Kelly’s departure is the exception, not the rule. Georgia kept 27 of 28 signees from that 2025 class, a group that ranked No. 2 nationally and featured five-star talents like Elijah Griffin, Zayden Walker, and Talyn Taylor.
Add in the No. 1-ranked 2024 class, and Georgia has retained 51 of 57 signees across those two cycles. That’s a retention rate most programs would kill for.
For context, 11 of the 26 signees from the 2023 class transferred before the 2025 season.
That kind of continuity matters. Georgia was a young team in 2025, and it showed early in the season.
But with fewer transfers and stronger class retention, the Bulldogs are poised to be more experienced and battle-tested heading into 2026. They may not be as veteran-laden as Indiana or Miami were last year, but the growing pains should be fewer and farther between.
And while Georgia isn’t diving into the portal headfirst like LSU or Texas-both of whom landed multiple top-10 transfers per ESPN-they’re making targeted, high-upside additions. LSU and Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss brought in big names but also lost key contributors.
LSU’s Carrius Curne is now at Ole Miss. Texas lost wide receiver Parker Livingstone to rival Oklahoma.
That’s the trade-off when you live and die by the portal.
Georgia, on the other hand, is playing the long game. They’re not just recruiting talent-they’re recruiting players who want to grow within the program.
That’s a subtle but critical shift. It doesn’t help to land a five-star if he’s out the door two years later.
The highest-rated player from Georgia’s 2024 class to transfer is cornerback Ondre Evans, who ranked No. 85 overall. He suffered an ACL tear last spring and was likely looking at limited snaps behind fellow 2024 signees Ellis Robinson and Demello Jones. He’s also the only one of Georgia’s 10 top-100 signees from that class to leave.
And the 2025 class? All eight of Georgia’s top-100 signees are still in Athens.
That’s not just roster stability-that’s program stability. And in today’s college football world, that might be the biggest win of all.