Good morning, DawgNation. If you listen closely, you’ll hear an unmistakable sound. It’s the noise made when hundreds of coaches across the country simultaneously exhale.
For the first time in quite some time, college football — which is seemingly always in a state of chaos — is perhaps ready to downshift, at least for a moment, as the transfer portal window is now officially closed.
For Georgia, there’s a lot to be happy about. The Bulldogs lost a couple of notable names, but it was by no means a mass exodus. We’re led to believe UGA focused a lot of its budget on player retention, and that feels like a good decision given the quality of its roster.
Georgia also added an intriguing crop of transfers — including this weekend with the announcement that 4-star quarterback, and former Oregon signee, Bryson Beaver was flipping to UGA.
Beaver has impressive credentials and helps fill a void left by Jared Curtis’ last-minute decision to go to Vanderbilt. Beaver’s arrival is a pleasant surprise at the end of a frantic news cycle. Who knows if he’s a future starter for the Bulldogs, but it’s never a bad thing to have more talent in the program.
And after a busy start to January, talent is something Georgia appears to have plenty of as we head through 2026.
Check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
How many SEC championships did Vince Dooley win as Georgia’s head coach.
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Georgia takes down Missouri in final seconds, Smurf Millender comes up big
Marcus “Smurf” Millender came up big in the final seconds for Georgia, leaving Missouri fans feeling blue on Tuesday night.
The No. 21-ranked Bulldogs (16-3, 4-2 SEC) pulled out a 74-72 win at Mizzou Arena on the strength of Millender’s drive to the basket and ensuing free throw with 5.5 seconds left at Missouri (13-6, 3-3).
Missouri’s Jacob Crews had hit a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 72-71 lead with 18 seconds left and send the home crowd into hysterics.
The Tigers were 11-0 at home this season entering the Tuesday night game with UGA.
Georgia coach Mike White called a timeout with nine seconds left to set up a final play, and then Missouri called a timeout just before UGA inbounded, leading to another break in the action as the tension mounted.
Millender inbounded the ball to Somto Cyril and then raced in from the end court, following his pass and using Cyril as a screen after Cyril flipped the ball back to him.
The 5-foot-11 Millender drove to the rim against Missouri 7-foot center Shawn Phillips Jr., drawing a foul on his made basket, and then hit a free throw that made the score 74-72.
It was the 10th and final lead change in the game.
The Tigers, out of timeouts, hustled the ball up court for Crews to get off a long, contested 3-point attempt that missed, sealing the win for the Bulldogs.
Georgia football 2026 roster tracker
Committed from transfer portal
- Safety Khalil Barnes, Clemson
- Wide receiver Isiah Canion, Georgia Tech
- Cornerback Braylon Conley, USC
- Defensive end Amaris Williams, Auburn
- Safety Ja’Marley Riddle, East Carolina
- Running back Dante Dowdell, Kentucky
- Defensive back Gentry Williams, Oklahoma
- Quarterback Bryson Beaver, Oregon
Entered transfer portal
- Cornerback Daniel Harris
- Tight end Pearce Spurlin
- Running back Roderick Robinson
- Defensive lineman Jordan Thomas
- Offensive lineman Nyier Daniels
- Defensive back Jaden Harris
- Outside linebacker Kris Jones
- Offensive tackle Bo Hughley
- Defensive back Joenel Aguero
- Defensive back Ondre Evans
- Defensive back Adrian Maddox
- Outside linebacker Elo Modozie
- Defensive back Dominick Kelly
Declared for NFL draft
Returning to Georgia
Georgia football shakes up coaching staff
Georgia’s coaching staff will look different in 2026, as the Bulldogs are making a change on the offensive line.
Stacy Searels will move into an analyst role after spending the previous four seasons as Georgia’s offensive line coach. In his place, Georgia will promote Phil Rauscher, who served as a quality control coordinator this past season.
“We’re grateful for everything Coach Searels has poured into our program over the past several seasons,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said in a statement released by the school. “His knowledge, experience and steady leadership have been instrumental to our offensive production. In his new role, Stacy will continue to impact our offensive strategy and provide mentorship for both our staff and players.”
Rauscher made just $75,000 last season in his role with the Bulldogs, while Searels made $803,000 in 2025.
The move is not dissimilar to what Georgia did with Will Muschamp following the 2023 season, when he moved from co-defensive coordinator to an analyst role. The Bulldogs hired Travaris Robinson to replace Muschamp on staff.
Searels joined the Georgia staff from North Carolina before the 2022 season. This is the second time in his career that he has been the offensive line coach at Georgia, as he served in the role from 2007 through 2010.
Photo of the day
Georgia football throwback
Sept. 26, 2020: Georgia beat Arkansas 37-10 to begin the 2020 season. Quarterback D’Wan Mathis earned the start but was quickly replaced by Stetson Bennett IV, who threw for 211 yards with two touchdowns.
Georgia football finishes No. 5 in final Coaches Poll
The final Coaches Poll of the 2025 season has been published, with the Georgia Bulldogs finishing as the No. 5-ranked team.
Indiana ended the year as the No. 1 team in the final Coaches Poll. The Hoosiers went 16-0, beating Miami in the national championship game. The Hurricanes finished No. 2 in the poll.
Georgia went 12-2 this past season, with the lone losses coming against Alabama (which finished ninth in the Coaches Poll) and Ole Miss (which finished No. 3). The Rebels beat Georgia 39-34 to end Georgia’s season. Georgia finished No. 6 in the final AP Poll.
The Bulldogs did win the SEC once again, avenging their early-season loss to Alabama with a 28-7 win in the SEC championship game.
Trivia answer
Six
