Georgia’s 2026 trip to Arkansas comes with a clear name to circle on the line of scrimmage: Quincy Rhodes.
As Ryan Silverfield steps into a major rebuilding project in his first season leading the Razorbacks, Arkansas still has at least one serious defensive pillar in place. Rhodes, an edge rusher, looks like the kind of player a new staff can lean on while everything else gets sorted out around him.
His 2025 junior season was the breakout. Rhodes piled up 44 total tackles and led the team with 15.5 tackles for loss, adding 8 sacks, 6 quarterback hurries, and a forced fumble.
That 15.5 TFL mark was the highest by an Arkansas defender since Trey Flowers posted 15.5 in 2015, and Rhodes also became the first ’Hawg to reach double-digit tackles for loss in a season since Landon Jackson in 2023. On the national stage, he finished the regular season 13th in tackles for loss per game and 23rd in sacks per game.
The accolades followed. Going into 2026, Rhodes landed second team All-SEC honors from both league coaches and the Associated Press. He also picked up second team recognition from Athlon Sports and third team honors from Phil Steele.
That matters because Arkansas has been hit by a mass roster exodus after the coaching change, and Rhodes is one of the few proven players left in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks’ defensive identity in 2026 will likely flow through him.
For Georgia, the challenge is obvious. At 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, Rhodes brings the length to clog passing lanes and the burst to beat tackles before they can settle in. He’s the kind of edge defender who can wreck run plays early and force an offense to adjust its whole approach.
That’s why the Bulldogs can’t treat him like just another front-seven player. If Arkansas is going to make noise in the September 19 matchup, Rhodes gives the Razorbacks a real shot to do it from the first series.
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