ATHENS - Georgia’s wide receiver room was supposed to be one of the season’s big questions. Instead, it has turned into one of the more steady parts of the offense, even with injuries thinning the group.
The Bulldogs have been without Isiah Canion since he left the Arkansas game with a right knee injury. Since then, he has not played again for Georgia. Canion arrived from the transfer portal expected to help reshape the receiver room, but he has managed only three catches in three games this season.
“He’s definitely been present,” wide receiver Talyn Taylor said of Canion. “Even though he’s not on the field right now, he’s definitely, like, he’s definitely in our minds with his voice.
He’s talking to us, being a leader, he’s not just being distant, away from everybody else. He’s a part of this team, part of this program, he wants to buy in.
So just seeing him coming back, and just hoping he comes back as soon as possible, it’s just good seeing that.”
That doesn’t exactly point to Canion being available Saturday when Georgia faces Florida at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Canion has played in that building before, turning in four catches for 54 yards last season for Georgia Tech.
Georgia has also had to deal with another setback at the position after Thomas Blackshear was injured against Vanderbilt, hurting his collarbone. Between those two injuries, the Bulldogs are lighter at receiver than they’d like to be.
Even so, the production has held up.
Taylor has become the team’s top target with 19 receptions, and his play has matched the hype that came with being a former 5-star receiver. His most eye-catching showing came in Georgia’s win over Oklahoma.
“I feel like the season’s been great,” Taylor said. “I feel like I’ve been controlling what I can control.
Just making sure I focus on what I can do in the facility, out of facility, watching training, getting into film. Making sure that I’m doing all the things that I need to do to make sure my season goes the way that I want it to go.”
The biggest surprise, though, has been freshman Craig Dandridge. The Memphis, Tennessee, native leads Georgia with 310 receiving yards, and he has quickly become a real factor as a true freshman.
Georgia has seen a young receiver step forward early before, with George Pickens being the obvious comparison. But Dandridge was not the player most people expected to make the biggest first-year impact, even with the resume he brought from Cambridge High School.
“Craig has been doing great ever since he came in, you know, as a mid-year, he’s been handling his business like a grown man,” Taylor said. “He’s just been coming in and doing what he does.”
London Humphreys has also given the Bulldogs another steady option, catching touchdowns in each of Georgia’s last two games. That has helped round out a room that may be incomplete, but is clearly producing.
“It’s hard sometimes if you’re someone who’s banged up to be up there and on the sideline helping guys, whether it’s practice, whatever it is,” Humphreys said of Canion. “So he’s done a great job keeping a good attitude and helping the young guys, too.”
Georgia will get an updated availability report from the SEC on Wednesday, which should offer a better sense of Canion’s status. He was already ruled out before the Auburn game, and he has not suited up since the Arkansas matchup.
Against a Florida defense that has been vulnerable at times this season, Georgia will go in with a receiving corps it can rely on. If Canion is able to return, it would give the Bulldogs another needed lift for the stretch run.
“We definitely proved that we’re dogs, we’re a dog receiver group,” Taylor said.
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