For the second straight season, Georgia used the transfer portal to make multiple additions at the safety position.

Khalil Barnes from Clemson was the first transfer Georgia landed in this previous cycle. But it is the second safety, Ja’Marley Riddle, who is generating some offseason buzz.

Riddle comes from ECU, having been a very productive player over the previous two seasons. In 2025, Riddle had 70 tackles and 3 interceptions to go along with 6 pass breakups and 4.0 tackles for loss.

Chris Hummer of CBS Sports tabbed Riddle as an under-the-radar transfer to watch entering next season.

“Personnel staffers love his tape,” Hummer wrote of Riddle. “The 6-foot, 182-pound safety is a sure tackler, covers a ton of space and has shown excellent ball skills with three interceptions in each of his underclassman seasons.”

While Riddle may not be a known commodity among Georgia and college football fans at large, the Bulldogs feel confident in what they’ve landed in Riddle. He was high school teammates with current Georgia tight end Elyiss Williams when the two were at Camden County in Kingsland, Georgia.

Georgia views the safety position as one of need this offseason. Georgia saw Ja’Corey Thomas exhaust his collegiate eligibility while Adrian Maddox, Jaden Harris and Joenel Aguero all transferred out of the program.

The Bulldogs do bring back KJ Bolden at the position, while Kyron Jones and Zion Branch return from a season ago. The Bulldogs signed four safeties in the 2026 recruiting cycle, but the expectations are for Barnes and Riddle to help immediately.

Barnes will have just one year of eligibility, while Riddle arrives in Athens with two years remaining.

Barnes and Riddle were not the only defensive backfield additions, with the Bulldogs adding cornerbacks Gentry Williams and Braylon Conley.

Georgia added only nine players via the transfer portal this offseason, the fewest among teams in the SEC.

But it seems the Bulldogs opted for a quality approach in the transfer portal. The addition of Riddle only solidifies Georgia’s process when it comes to the transfer portal.

“We don’t go after necessarily the flashiest, biggest guy. We go after the guy that fits — the guy that is a fit for us,” Kirby Smart said in an interview with Jeff Dantzler of Glory Glory.