Georgia looks loaded again in 2026, the kind of roster that usually makes Kirby Smart’s team feel inevitable. Ellis Robinson and KJ Bolden headline a secondary packed with talent, Raylen Wilson is back, and there are former blue-chip players scattered all over the depth chart.
But one problem from 2025 is hanging around, and it’s hard to ignore now: Georgia’s pass rush.
Last season was a strange one for a program that has built its identity on collapsing pockets and making quarterbacks miserable. Instead, Georgia finished 107th nationally in total sacks, and the numbers behind that slide were just as ugly. The Bulldogs posted a QB pressure rate of 29.9% - 90th in the FBS - along with a sack rate of 12.9% - 128th in the FBS - and 1.43 sacks per game, which ranked 117th.
At the time, plenty of people were willing to explain it away. Youth played a role.
So did the turnover from graduates and NFL entrants. Injuries mattered too.
The expectation was that this would be the one season where Georgia’s pass-rush issues got corrected.
That plan took a hit before the 2026 G-Day Game even arrived.
Smart had gone into the transfer portal and added Auburn defensive end Amaris Williams, a player who flashed at Auburn and still managed 20 combined tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks across his first two seasons despite limited snaps. He was supposed to help stabilize the edge. Instead, it was reported days before G-Day that Williams tore his ACL and was done for the year before ever lining up for the Bulldogs.
Then came another blow: Xzavier McLeod decided to leave football altogether.
That leaves Georgia in a spot that doesn’t feel very Georgia-like - a team with championship expectations and no obvious premier pass rusher.
“We aren’t where we need to be in terms of pass rush, because we’re missing some guys in terms of dealing with Amaris (Williams) not being out there and some talent there. We’re having to do it in other ways,” Smart said, via DawgNation. “And we’ll have to do that probably all year in terms of the way we create pressure and how we go about it.”
That’s the concern. If Georgia has to create pressure by committee all season, it can start forcing the defense into uncomfortable choices.
Corners and safeties may have to hold up longer. Blitzes from the back end may become more common.
Either way, the margin gets thinner.
The rest of the roster still looks strong. Georgia is stacked at skill positions, on the offensive line, at quarterback, in the secondary, and on special teams. But the defensive line - the group that ought to be setting the tone - is still a work in progress.
Gabe Harris and Quintavius Johnson, two of Georgia’s better run defenders a year ago, spent the offseason sharpening their pass-rush skills with new outside linebackers coach Larry Knight. Young players like Chase Linton and Zayden Walker could also take a step forward. The problem is that neither has shown yet that he can be the kind of edge threat Georgia needs.
Even Smart acknowledged he doesn’t know exactly where the pass rush is going to come from. That’s the part that has to make Georgia fans uneasy, especially with quarterbacks like John Mateer, Trinidad Chambliss, Keelon Russell, and LaNorris Sellers on the schedule.
Those are the kinds of athletic, dual-threat quarterbacks who can turn a lack of pressure into a long afternoon. If they’re comfortable in the pocket, or if they find easy escapes on the perimeter, Georgia’s defense can be forced into drawn-out series it doesn’t want to play.
And if that happens, the burden shifts to Mike Bobo, Gunner Stockton, and the offense. Georgia doesn’t want to live in shootouts, and last year’s losses to Alabama and Ole Miss showed why.
It’s one flaw, but it could ripple through everything else. For a team built to chase another deep College Football Playoff run, that’s the kind of weakness that can do real damage.
In Other News...
Georgia Has A New Reason To Be Furious With LSU
A Louisiana judges injunction has added another layer to the eligibility fight surrounding college football, and Georgia has every reason to watch it closely. The ruling lets certain players, including DaeQuan Wright, return to the sport despite NCAA concerns, after LSU used an eligibility loophole to bring in a player who had previously been under contract with the Cleveland Browns.
For Georgia, the issue goes beyond one roster move. Kirby Smart has already voiced concerns about how fair the ruling is, and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has pushed back as well, putting the league squarely in the middle of the dispute. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also weighed in on social media in support of the SEC and the University of Georgia, underscoring how much this decision has resonated beyond Baton Rouge. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias Opener Could Hinge On One Early Problem They Must Avoid
Georgias opener figures to be shaped by the same basic traits that have driven Kirby Smarts best teams: clean football, early rhythm and a defense that keeps opponents from settling in. The Bulldogs have leaned on a strong turnover margin, fast starts, third-down stops and efficient, quick-hitting offense to control games before they can turn into uncomfortable slugfests. Even special teams matters here, because one mistake in that phase can undo a lot of the discipline Georgia usually tries to build into a game plan.
There is also some natural pressure on the offense to find its footing early after offseason turnover at receiver, which makes the opening script even more important. If Georgia can avoid the kind of early lapse that shifts momentum, it can play from ahead and keep the game on its terms. If it does not, the margin for error gets thinner in a hurry, especially against an opponent waiting for any sign of hesitation or frustration. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart At 50 Still Sounds Like Georgias Championship Standard
Kirby Smart heads into his eleventh season at Georgia still sounding like a coach driven more by the next standard than the last celebration. At 50, he has already built a program defined by championships and relentless expectations, but his attention remains on the same basics that got the Bulldogs here in the first place: winning, coaching, and finding players who fit the culture he wants around him.
Smart has long made it clear that recruiting is about more than talent, and respect remains a trait he keeps coming back to when he talks about the kind of roster Georgia needs. He draws ideas from across the sports world and different philosophies, but the through line is unchanged, he is still pushing to bring glory to his alma mater while coaching with the same urgency that defined him long before the trophies arrived. [Read more 🡒]