Georgia Football Coach Kirby Smart Raves About New Receiver

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs have several question marks on offense heading into the 2026 season.

The Bulldogs are replacing several wide receivers including Zachariah Branch, Colbie Young, Noah Thomas, and Dillon Bell. Smart knew he had to hit the transfer portal hard in hopes of finding a new weapon who can line up on the perimeter. That led to the signing of Georgia Tech transfer Isiah Canion, one of the state's top high school receivers back in the 2024 recruiting class.

The Warner Robins, Georgia native was a major go-to weapon for the Yellow Jackets in 2025, hauling in 33 passes for 480 yards and four touchdowns. He's a big target with plenty of size and natural ball skills at 6-foot-4 and 205-pounds. The Bulldogs brought him in for a reason and it's clear he'll be a major part of the Bulldog passing attack this upcoming season. In fact, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart raved about his new wideout earlier this week during his weekly press conference.

“He's come in and blended really well," Smart told reporters. "I think he was comfortable in the room because of the players on the team and having guys he played high school with and played against all his life. He's worked really hard. He's relatively quiet, but he plays physical. He plays hard. He plays tough. He's not afraid to go down and make hard blocks and dig people out, but he's also got speed and athleticism to be a weapon on the perimeter. He's had a really good, quiet camp. I'm very pleased with what he's brought to our team. He's a great kid.”

That's exactly what Georgia fans were hoping to hear. With several Bulldog wideouts hoping to emerge this fall, Canion has the size, talent, and experience that should allow him to make an early impact in Athens. Against the Bulldogs last year, Canion caught four passes for 54 yards during Georgia Tech's 16-9 loss to Georgia in Atlanta. There are not many wideouts at Georgia with proven production, but Canion is one of them. It may be his first year at Georgia, but Canion has a chance to have a really strong junior season.

Other Bulldog receivers to keep a close eye on this fall include sophomore Talyn Taylor, junior Sacovie White-Helton, senior London Humphreys, sophomore CJ Wiley, among others. They'll need a bigger, playmaking wideout who can stretch the field, and Canion has the potential to be that type of pass-catcher. If he is, look for quarterback Gunner Stockton to look his way often in 2026.

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