Georgia Bulldogs Banking on Development to Prevail for 2026 Season

The Georgia Bulldogs are banking on development to prevail for the 2026 season.

Nov 22, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Chris Cole (9) and linebacker Justin against the Charlotte 49ers during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Georgia Bulldogs are banking on development to prevail for the 2026 season.

The 2025 college football season hasn't officially concluded, but the Georgia Bulldogs have their focus already set on the 2026 season. At the moment, they are working to make it through the last couple of days of the transfer portal.

With there only being one transfer portal window, rosters will be set before spring practice takes place, and right now, it looks like Georgia has put its focus on retaining the roster more than adding from the portal. Of course they have made some additions from the portal, but not a large number of them.

Up to this point, Georgia has made seven additions from the portal and have lost 12 total players to the portal. Needless to say, Georgia seems to be hoping that development will prevail for them this upcoming season.

That's a valid line of thinking for a program like Georgia. The Bulldogs spend a lot of time recruiting players and getting them to Athens in the first place. Why not have those players be the ones who are playing on the field?

Georgia Bulldogs Hoping Home Grown Talent Leads to a National Title

Nov 15, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Kj Bolden (4) gestures after a game against the Texas Longhorns at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Now there might be some push back to that. Other programs have become mercenaries in the transfer portal and for some it has produced great results. But for others, it ends up being a a whole bunch of money spent that didn't lead to any new accolades being added to the trophy room.

The Bulldogs have had some very impactful transfers over the years, but Georgia has always been very selective about who they bring in. Typically it's a player that either adds depth to a position of need or a player that they feel will immediately impact the roster. An example of this would be Georgia adding Zachariah Branch and Zion Branch last offseason.

Zachariah Branch was an immediate impact player in the wide receiver room and Zion Branch provided depth at safety this past season. Depth that showed up in multiple games. That seems to be the route Georgia is taking again this offseason.

So while many college football programs are going full portal mode, the Bulldogs are banking on the talent they landed from the high school ranks to be the players that help lead them to a national title this upcoming season.