Georgia Football Will Need This Player to Step Up This Season

The Georgia Bulldogs will need this player to step this college football season.

The Georgia Bulldogs lost quite a few players to the NFL draft this offseason. That's nothing new for the Bulldogs, as Kirby Smart has turned his program into an NFL talent pipeline. As a result, the Bulldogs will also be relying on some players to step into new roles this season.

Georgia lost running backs Cash Jones and Josh McCray to the NFL while bringing back veteran backs Chauncey Bowens and Nate Frazier. To help bolster the room, Georgia brought in Dante Dowdell from the transfer portal, but at SEC media days, fans discovered Dowdell likely won'tbe playing for the Bulldogs this season.

"The Dante Dowdell situation is tough," said Smart. "I don't know when he will be back. He had an off-campus accident at home during our break. We are praying for him and his family, and we expect a full recovery, but the outlook right now is that we will wait and see. We will go day to day with him and wait and see. I hate that for him and his family, but he is a great kid. It's been tough."

Why Dwight Phillips Jr. Will Have to Step Up for Georgia

Apr 18, 2026; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Dwight Phillips Jr. (20) runs with the ball during the Georgia Spring football game at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dowdell was expected to be the 3rd option amongst Bowens and Frazier, but due to Dowdell's injury, someone else will have to take on those carries on Saturdays in the fall this season.

A name to keep an eye on for that is Dwight Phillips Jr. The third-year running back has gotten some opportunities over the last two seasons, and there is no denying that he brings some electricity to the room when he gets the ball.

The biggest obstacle Phillips will have to overcome this season if he wants to remain in the rotation is staying healthy. He dealt with an ankle injury last season and after earning at least five carries in the first three games of the season, Phillips only exceeded that mark two other times for the remainder of the year.

Phillips was a track star prior to his arrival at the University of Georgia, and that speed shows up on the football field. He was expected to be among the rotation this year, but with Dowdell's injury, his expected role might have changed right before the season starts.

With only a little over a month left until the 2026 season kicksoff, the Bulldogs will be starting fall camp in the coming weeks to start preparing for the upcoming season.

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