Texas Longhorns vs. Georgia Bulldogs Early Season Preview: Four Players to Watch

The Texas Longhorns feature one of the top rosters in all of college football, with many players projected to be competing for national awards at the end of the season. It's no surprise that Steve Sarkisian's program is seen as one of the perennial national championship contenders ahead of the 2025 season.

The same can be said about the rosters Kirby Smart has been able to construct in the past few years, as Georgia has been the standard in the world of college football. Georgia's 2025 team is no different; even after losing 13 players to the NFL Draft, the Bulldogs' roster is filled with key returners and new faces who will play key roles in defending their SEC title.

The Longhorns will travel to Athens in mid-November in a big-time matchup that could heavily influence national rankings and the possibility of playing for an SEC championship for both teams. Here are a few players to keep an eye out for when the two teams face off in Sanford Stadium on Nov. 15:

Apr 12, 2025; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) runs on the field prior to the start of the Georgia Spring game at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Gunner Stockton, QB

The Bulldogs head into the 2025 season with redshirt junior Gunner Stockton as their new quarterback after multi-year starter Carson Beck transferred to Miami in the offseason. It won't be the first time the Longhorns see Stockton, as the fourth-year quarterback was thrust into the SEC title game a season ago after Carson Beck went down with an injury right at the end of the second quarter.

Stockton helped Georgia clinch another conference championship, completing 12 of 16 passes for 71 yards in Georgia's overtime victory over the Longhorns. Stockton received his first career start in Georgia's loss in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal, completing 20 of 32 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown against Notre Dame.

Apr 12, 2025; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) calls for the ball during the Georgia Spring game at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Zachariah Branch, WR

Georgia's wide receiver room struggled last season, leading the entire nation in drops last season with 36, severely impacting the offense. Needing to add talent to its wide receiver corps, Georgia went into the transfer portal and added Zachariah Branch from USC.

In his two seasons in Southern California, the speedy wide receiver totaled 78 receptions for 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns, also being an impact player in the running game with 11 rushes for 87 yards and one touchdown.

The Longhorns will also need to look out for Branch in the punt return game. As a true freshman, he recorded 16 punt returns for 332 yards and one touchdown and was awarded the Jet Award honoring the nation's most outstanding return specialist in 2023.

KJ Bolden, Safety

As a true freshman, KJ Bolden headed into the 2024 with lots of expectations as a five-star prospect who was the top-15 overall recruit and the No. 1 safety in the 2024 class by 247Sports.

Bolden delivered on all expectations, seeing the field in every game Georgia played last season, recording 59 total tackles, two tackles-for-loss, a sack, and an interception en route to an All-SEC freshman team selection. He now heads into year two as one of the anchors in Georgia's secondary, which is ranked as the No. 5 returning safety in all of college football by Pro Football Focus.

Daylen Everette, CB

The senior returns to Georgia for his senior year after a productive third season with the Bulldogs. In 2024, Everette tallied 58 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, and three interceptions, and had big games against Texas the two times the teams squared off, recording nine tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, and all three of his interceptions in 2024 came against the Longhorns.

Now, as one of the leaders in the secondary, Texas will have to be keyed in on where the senior lines up during their matchup in November.