Sponsored Article
“Game Day Experience: Athens, Georgia”. This 120-page, color, hard-cover photo book will include Athens, UGA, all athletics, football, and game day tailgate/game photos. Click here for more information.
By Skeeter Smith
After losing to Notre Dame in the second round of the College Football Playoffs, many questions arose about team retention and rebuilding for the Georgia Bulldogs heading into the 2025 season. Over recent years, Georgia has had no problem facing these challenges with ease, typically replacing offseason losses with players who are just as talented or even better than their predecessors. However, in the current era of the transfer portal, you never know who will be on your roster the next season.
In the pre-portal era, elite programs like Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State stockpiled on four and five-star recruits every cycle, giving them a clear talent and depth advantage over nearly every opponent they faced. However, the introduction of NIL and the transfer portal has reshaped the landscape, making roster retention one of the toughest tasks for college coaches. The stability that once defined powerhouse programs is no longer guaranteed.
More Sports News
The effects of this shift have been evident on the field. If the 2024 season taught us anything, it’s that college football’s competitive balance is changing. For the first time since 2007, Alabama lost four games in a season. Ohio State, known for its dominance in the Big Ten, dropped two regular-season conference games for the first time since 2011. Even Georgia, which hadn’t lost a regular-season game since 2020, suffered two this past season.
The portal has shown it can be an effective tool for rebuilding rosters and maintaining the depth needed to contend. Indiana is a great example of this. After finishing 3-9 the prior season, the Hoosiers completely transformed their roster using the portal, resulting in an 11-1 regular season and a playoff berth for the first time in school history. The ability to turn around a program quickly has changed the game for teams at all levels.
Last offseason, Ohio State went all-in on 2024, landing big portal additions like Caleb Downs, Seth McLaughlin, Quinshon Judkins, and quarterback Will Howard. The investment has paid off, as the Buckeyes are in the midst of a dominant playoff run with their sights set on the national championship.
This offseason, Georgia appears to be following a similar path. The Bulldogs have already addressed a key area of need in the receiver room, which struggled last season. By adding Noah Thomas and Zachariah Branch, two highly touted portal targets, Georgia has significantly upgraded their pass-catching group. The Bulldogs also added Micah Bell from Vanderbilt, who’s expected to switch from cornerback to running back.
Past that, the team has also prioritized the secondary, bringing in three safeties in Zion Branch (Zachariah’s brother), Jaden Harris, and Adrian Maddox to help offset expected losses from that position group. On the retention side, there’s early chatter that suggests star running back Trevor Etienne may return for his senior year which would be a huge boost for that running back room.
Beyond their portal activity, Georgia continues to dominate high school recruiting. For the ninth straight year, the Bulldogs are projected to finish in the top five, ensuring their roster remains stocked with young talent.
With the offseason still young, expect more moves in the portal from Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs as they look to reclaim their place atop the college football world.
