ATHENS — Georgia knew it needed help at a few key positions coming out of spring practice.

It seems the Bulldogs did all of their spring shopping at once, landing a trio of transfers in Army outside linebacker Elo Modozie, Illinois running back Joshua McCray and Miami defensive lineman Joshua Horton.

Those additions give Georgia nine players from the transfer portal this offseason, as the Bulldogs added six players in the winter transfer window. While Modozie, McCray and Horton didn’t get a chance to go through spring practice with Georgia, they can still very much help the Bulldogs this fall.

Of the trio, Modozie is the most important addition. He’ll arrive with two years of eligibility remaining. In 2024, Modozie led Army in sacks with 6.5 to go along with 8.0 tackles for loss.

The 6-foot-3, 245 pound outside linebacker provides immediate help at Georgia’s biggest position of need. Chaz Chambliss exhausted his eligibility, while Damon Wilson and Samuel M’Pemba entered transferred to other SEC schools.

No player may benefit more from Modozie’s arrival than Gabe Harris. The junior bounces between outside linebacker and the defensive line, doing whatever is needed to help the team. With Modozie now on the team, he’ll have the opportunity to do so again in 2025.

Harris missed spring practice as he recovers from a labrum injury.

"To be honest, I just want to be a valuable player, it don’t matter where they put me," Harris said this spring. “So (defensive) end, Jack, don’t matter.”

Georgia does have Quintavius Johnson and three freshmen at the position in Isaiah Gibson, Chase Linton and Darren Ikinnagbon. The presence of Modozie no longer forces Georgia to rush their developments, allowing them to earn playing time organically.

Georgia must replace 29.0 of the 37.0 sacks from last season’s team. Modozie should help in a big way in that regard, especially as he is an ascending defensive player. He arrived at Army as a wide receiver prospect before moving over to the defensive side of the ball.

As for Horton, he gives Georgia another big body in the middle of the defense. He appeared in only five games last season for Miami but Georgia still saw value and upside in the Fairburn, Ga., product. Horton was high school teammate with fellow Bulldogs Bo Hughley and Dontrell Glover.

Horton arrives with three years of eligibility remaining. Georgia liked what it got out of Xzavier McLeod last year, who transferred in from South Carolina. The Bulldogs hope to replicate that success with Horton.

"We’re probably not as good on the line of scrimmage as we have been in the last three to four years," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after G-Day. “We’ve got time to get there, and we’ve got to get there. It’s just hard because you’ve got less defensive linemen and offensive linemen than we’ve ever had before, and we seem younger.”

On the offensive side of the ball, McCray should provide a physical presence to Georgia’s rushing attack. He’s listed at 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, pairing well with Nate Frazier.

McCray will only have one season at Georgia. But adding a veteran to the room was a must, especially after Branson Robinson departed the program via the transfer portal last week.

The best game of McCray’s college career was his most recent one. That it came against an SEC foe in South Carolina likely only further help convince Smart to add Horton to the roster. He rushed for 114 yards on 13 carries in Illinois’ win over South Carolina to cap the 2024 season.

Horton led an Illinois team that went 10-3 last season in rushing with 609 yards. The more impressive statistic with Horton is his 10 rushing touchdowns. No player on Georgia’s team found the end zone that often last season.

Frazier should still be seen as the lead running back for Georgia entering 2025. But there were questions about who would be Georgia’s No. 2 running back this spring. McCray gives Georgia another possible solution, to go along with Roderick Robinson, Chauncey Bowens, Dwight Phillips Jr. and Bo Walker.

Georgia might not be done in the transfer portal this spring, as North Carolina defensive end Beau Atkinsion and Alabama A&M defensive lineman Sedrick Smith visited Georgia over the weekend. Those players are taking other visits but play at positions of need for Georgia.

Georgia could still lose more players from its current roster, as the transfer portal closes on April 25. In addition to Robinson, Nitro Tuggle and Marques Easley have also departed the program.

The Bulldogs weren’t able to take any SEC players out of the transfer portal this spring. Yet it still believes enough in the ability and makeup of Modozie, McCray and Horton to help the 2025 Georgia team.

“If kids wanna be here, we’re gonna have them here,” Smart said. “I hope I get to keep my entire roster and go play the whole year with my entire roster. If we don’t, then we’ll get somebody that wants to. I mean, there’s tons of kids that wanna be at the University of Georgia, and I’m worried about the ones that wanna be here.”

Georgia football players who entered the transfer portal

Georgia football players added from the transfer portal