No. 2 Georgia rolled through Western Kentucky 49-0 on Saturday and kept its season spotless at 2-0, but one name missing from the box score was sophomore wide receiver Thomas Blackshear.
The Bulldogs spread the ball around in a big way, with 10 different players hauling in passes after Georgia had 15 receptions in the 63-3 win over Tennessee State in Week 1. Blackshear, though, was sidelined after being noted on the SEC Network broadcast as out because he was "banged up."
After the game, Kirby Smart filled in the details.
"He's got a little wrist injury that he's dealing with," Smart said, noting Blackshear is in a cast. "Just getting better from that."
Blackshear had been part of the mix early this season before the injury popped up. He caught two passes for 15 yards last week and played 21 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, which was second among Georgia wide receivers behind Isiah Canion’s 23. As a freshman, Blackshear appeared in three games and finished with two catches for 23 yards.
Smart has been high on the 6-foot-1, 200-pound receiver for a while. Late last season, he grouped Blackshear with CJ Wiley, Landon Roldan and Tyler Williams as part of a young wideout class that has the staff excited about what’s coming.
"CJ is growing up. Landon Roldan is going to be a good player.
Thomas Blackshear going to be a player," Smart said. Tyler Williams.
We have this core group of young receivers I'm excited about. I can't wait to see CJ Wiley and Landon Roldan and Thomas Blackshear and Talyn Taylor when we're able to get him back and Tyler Williams.
We got some good young receivers who are getting a lot of reps during the week."
Blackshear, a Savannah, Ga., native from Calvary Day School, picked Georgia over Tennessee and 18 other offers. He enrolled during the summer and made a strong impression early in the 2025 offseason, but his momentum slowed in fall camp after he got banged up.
"Thomas is dealing with a groin injury that's been nagging, and so he's not able to take his rep load," Smart said last August. "He's fighting to stay healthy, and camp's not a good time to be fighting that fight because you get one day off a week, and it's like, 'OK, I'm back out there every day.' He's flashed and done some things on special teams."
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Georgia Finally Granted A Fan Wish That Had Sanford Buzzing
The buzz around Sanford Stadium on Saturday had less to do with the opponent and more to do with what Georgia was wearing. For the first time in program history, the Bulldogs took the field in an all-white uniform, a look that had been teased and officially unveiled in early August before making its debut in Week 2 against Western Kentucky.
The rollout traced back to a deal Kirby Smart made with fans, tied to signups for the programs NIL collective, Glory Glory. Once the reveal became real, the reaction around the stadium was immediate and positive, adding a little extra energy to a game day that already had plenty of curiosity attached to it. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia's First Half Felt Like A Statement For More Than One Reason
Georgia did not waste time turning Saturday into a showcase. In the first half alone, the Bulldogs piled up 49 points, matching a school record for most points in one half since 1950, and did it with a kind of balance that suggested more than a hot start. Gunner Stockton was sharp from the opening series, completing 13 of 16 passes for 234 yards while spreading the ball around, and Georgias offense needed only 34 plays to produce 343 yards and a flood of touchdowns.
The defense and special-teams edge only sharpened the picture. Georgia forced two turnovers, WKU managed just 6 points and 63 yards on 35 plays, and multiple Bulldogs found the end zone in a half that looked less like a routine September surge and more like a reminder of how high the ceiling can be when everything clicks. Stockton also tied a school record with five first-half touchdown passes, leaving the rest of the day to wonder whether the early statement was the story, or just the opening chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Which Georgia Youngsters Just Made The Week 2 Buzz Louder
Georgias season-opening win over Tennessee State brought more than just a clean start to the year. It also gave the DawgNation crew plenty to chew on when it came to the younger players who flashed enough to get fans looking ahead, with tight end Jaden Reddell, safety Kyron Jones, Chris Cole, Ryan Montgomery, Nate Frazier, PJ Dean, Chauncey Bowens, Tyriq Green and Elyiss Williams all drawing some level of attention for what they showed on the field.
The common thread was simple enough: a handful of Bulldogs did enough in the opener to make the conversation about the next wave of contributors louder before Week 2 even arrived. The opinions were not all the same, but that is part of the appeal early in the season, when Georgia can point to a list of young names and wonder which ones will keep turning brief glimpses into a more permanent role. [Read more 🡒]