Things are getting spicy in the SEC, and Georgia is right in the center of the latest preseason drama. In Athlon Sports’ annual tradition of polling anonymous coaches around the league, one SEC coach didn’t hold back when asked about the Bulldogs heading into 2025. And if you’re a Georgia fan? You’re probably not going to love what they had to say.
“I don’t think this is the same level of talent we’ve seen in the last three or four years,” the coach said. “I think you might see a decline, at least at first, on both lines of scrimmage.”
That’s not exactly music to the ears of Dawgs supporters, especially when you consider what Kirby Smart has built in Athens. This is a program that went on a historic run from 2021 to 2022, winning back-to-back national titles and asserting themselves as college football’s newest powerhouse.
But cracks started to show last year—Carson Beck’s injury forced Gunner Stockton into the spotlight, and although Georgia still managed to win the SEC, they were bounced in the playoff quarterfinals by Notre Dame in a game that saw their offense sputter to just 10 points.
Now heading into 2025, the anonymous coach's concerns center around depth—or the lack of it. Georgia lost 13 players to the NFL Draft and saw several others exit through the transfer portal. Stockton, who has just one career start, will be QB1, and the Bulldogs didn’t bring in a transfer to compete with him. That decision raised some eyebrows, especially given how portal-happy most other SEC contenders have become.
“The biggest question mark will be the offense under Stockton,” the coach added. “They didn’t chase any portal guys, so let’s see if the kid can become elite.”
To Georgia’s credit, they’ve tried to patch things up at wide receiver by bringing in USC transfer Zachariah Branch and Texas A&M's Noah Thomas. But that doesn’t erase the skepticism. For the first time in years, there’s real uncertainty about Georgia’s grip on the SEC—and it’s coming from inside the league.
The Dawgs open their season against Marshall on August 30. We’ll find out soon enough if that anonymous coach was onto something—or just tossing preseason shade.