Morning, y’all! And happy Friday.
A quick programming note from me before we dive into today’s newsletter. I will be off all next week, and our awesome former intern Olivia Sayer will send out the newsletter while I’m gone. Super thankful for her help.
Also, I know I’m early on this, but I wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a happy Fourth of July. I wish you all perfectly grilled burgers and hot dogs, a crisp beverage of choice and the best time spent with family and friends.
Let’s get into some football:
Kemon Spell represents the type of 5-star prospect Georgia has to land moving forward
For as much chatter as there has been about Georgia’s recruiting struggles in the 2027 recruiting cycle, it has seemed to eschew the fact that Georgia has multiple 5-star prospects among its current commitments.
The most recent was tight end Jaxon Dollar. He joined the fold in May, picking Georgia over the likes of Notre Dame and Oregon. Georgia’s track record of success under Todd Hartley speaks for itself at the tight end position. To this point, Hartley seems immune to some of the struggles plaguing Georgia recruiting.
As for the other, Kemon Spell represents a much bigger win. The Bulldogs swooped in to land the Pennsylvania product after Penn State parted with James Franklin. Despite interest from Miami and others, Spell’s words and actions have made it very clear he’s locked in with the Bulldogs.
Spell is the consensus No. 1-ranked running back in the country this cycle. Those types of players don’t come cheap.
If Spell signs with Georgia and ends the cycle as a 5-star prospect, he’d be the first to do so since Georgia signed Zamir White in the 2018 recruiting cycle. The Bulldogs have landed a number of talented backs of late, but none that compare to Spell.
The addition of Spell comes at an opportune time for the Georgia running back room. The current depth chart is ultimately a big reason Georgia was able to prioritize and land a player like Spell.
And if Georgia is going to land 5-star players like Spell, the No. 7 overall recruit in the country per the 247Sports Composite rankings, it may need to have a similar alignment with its current roster moving forward.
Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens both elected to return to Georgia for the 2026 season. They were Georgia’s leading rushers last season and figure to give Georgia a potent rushing attack again in 2026.
Much of Georgia’s current running back room is on the older side of the age curve. Frazier and Bowens are both draft-eligible after this season, which will be their third in Athens. The same is true for Dwight Phillips Jr., who had arguably the strongest spring of any running back.
Georgia dipped into the transfer portal to add Kentucky running back Dante Dowdell to the room as well. Dowdell is entering his senior season, but thanks to NCAA rule changes regarding eligibility, he’ll actually have two seasons of college football left.
Point being, Georgia is in a position to experience significant turnover at the running back spot following this season. Not all of the players listed above will likely head to the NFL, but it would be pretty surprising if Georgia didn’t at least experience some turnover at the position.
Trivia section
In 2022, Georgia had a record 15 players selected in the NFL draft, with five going in the first round. The Jaguars selected DL Travon Walker No. 1 overall. Who was the next Bulldog off the board?
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.
Georgia safety is ‘going to be the best they’ve had at that position’
Kirby Smart was an All-SEC safety during his playing days at Georgia.
It’s of little surprise that the Bulldogs have almost always had strong safety play since Smart took over as the team’s coach — from Maurice Smith and J.R. Reed in the early days to Lewis Cine, Christopher Smith and Malaki Starks on the championship teams.
With KJ Bolden entering his third season at Georgia, the Bulldogs are likely to once again have an elite safety. Bolden was Second Team All-SEC as a sophomore and finished second on the team in tackles. He came down with interceptions in wins over Texas and Tennessee.
ESPN recently tabbed Bolden as the No. 10 defensive player in the country entering next season. In speaking with some anonymous staffers, one thinks Bolden can be as good as any safety the Bulldogs have had.
“Malaki Starks was really good, but I don’t think he had top-end speed like KJ,” an SEC director of player personnel told ESPN. “KJ is so well put together. He reads things and reacts so quickly, and he triggers so hard. He’s going to be the best they’ve had at that position in a while, which is crazy to say.”
Bolden arrived at Georgia as a 5-star recruit in the 2024 recruiting class. Before even playing a down, Smart put immediate pressure on Bolden to perform.
He lived up to those lofty expectations, carving out an immediate role in the Georgia secondary. He played in all 14 games for the Bulldogs and earned Freshman All-SEC honors.
Bolden played next to Starks that season. The Bulldogs had to replace the first-round draft pick, with Bolden taking a larger role in the secondary.
Now entering his junior season, Bolden knows it’s time to put everything together, both as a player and as a leader for the Bulldogs.
“Time just flies so fast,” Bolden said. “Next thing you know, I’m in my third year. Just being a leader for my team. It just came so fast, but we just got to take it on, just be ready for it. We just got to be better than how it was last year and just keep growing, keep getting better.”
Starks has always been a common point of comparison when it comes to Bolden. They were both in-state 5-star prospects who played immediately at Georgia.
To this point, the only areas that Bolden has not yet matched Starks is being a national championship and first-round pick. A strong 2026 season should help position Bolden to be that, as he is already viewed as one of the top defensive prospects in the country.
Trivia answer
DT Jordan Davis to the Eagles at No. 13
