From Gunner Stockton on offense to KJ Bolden on defense, the 2026 Bulldogs have no shortage of high-profile returning talent to discuss throughout August and fall camp.
But what about players flying a little under the radar?
As we near Georgia’s season opener vs. Tennessee State Sept. 5, the DawgNation team answered this question: Who’s your sleeper pick for the upcoming season? A player whose name might not be everywhere right now, but who you think could make an impact this year.
This roundtable was featured in the Aug. 14 newsletter as a part of “Feature Fridays,” where each Friday the staff will chime in on anything from football to tailgating to their wildest sports memories.
You can subscribe to the newsletter here, and check out our answers below:
Team reporter Connor Riley’s pick: “Cornerback Demello Jones. Teams aren’t going to want to throw at Ellis Robinson, thus putting a lot on the plate of the third-year cornerback. But he played significant snaps last season for Georgia and has all the athletic gifts to develop into a massive contributor in the Georgia secondary.”
Reporter Mike Griffith: “Georgia has a lot of incoming freshman with great talent and freshman growing into second-year players, but my ‘sleeper’ pick for the Bulldogs is Josh Horton.
“Horton is a 6-foot-4, 305-pound second-year transfer from Miami who is a fourth-year player originally from Atlanta’s Langston Hughes High School.
“Originally a three-star prospect, Horton played in 14 games for UGA last season and will factor into the defensive tackle rotation this season. Horton flashed some pass-rushing skills in the Bulldogs’ two-hour scrimmage/practice on Sunday and has the look of a player who could step up and contribute more this season.”
Recruiting extraordinaire Jeff Sentell: “Ethan Barbour was the first name that came to mind, but then I remembered he started the first and last game of his true freshman season last fall despite a grueling injury. The pick here is Chase Linton. When the games count, he’ll emerge as an impact pass rusher.
“The former North Atlanta star has been a chore to block during spring ball and fall camp. That’s been a constant, but we also wanted to hype up a talent who would listen to ‘Can You Stand the Rain’ by New Edition before games in high school. The storm will come this fall off the edge for UGA. It will be wearing No. 85.”
“DawgNation Daily” host Brandon Adams: “I always say picking a ‘sleeper’ or a breakout star for Georgia is hard to do because so many players on the roster get lots of attention. However, one name that I think fits the bill is freshman wide receiver Craig Dandridge. People in the know have mentioned him to me as someone practicing well and that could allow him to make an impact this season.”
Video extraordinaire Cody Chaffins: “I’ll go with Zayden Walker. I feel like he’s the latest in the succession of Jalon Walker and Chris Cole for that chess piece player. For Cole, it was his second season (2025) that he led the team in sacks. With so much attention paid to Cole this year, it’s Walker’s time. Hard to say a former 5-star is a sleeper, but his shoulder injury kept him out of G-Day and I feel like he’s been forgotten about a little bit.”
DawgNation reporter Kaylee Mansell: “I’ll take second-year tight end Ethan Barbour. Although we know the TE room is stacked, I feel like other names such as Lawson Luckie, Elyiss Williams and Jaden Reddell have overshadowed Barbour. However, let’s not forget that Barbour was one of two freshmen to start Game 1 for the Dawgs last year.
“He will have a chip on his shoulder this season since he is coming off of injury, but his versatility and athleticism will prevail in finding a way to get on the field. On top of being a consistent pass catcher and a decent blocker, I think the Dawgs could find ways to get him involved in the run game.”
Reporter and DawgNation newsletter author Sarah Spencer: freshman wide receiver Tre Shields. We’ve spoken plenty about how Georgia might seem thin at wide receiver after losing so much talent last season, including Zachariah Branch … but is it really?
Or is a lot of the talent at that position simply untested, younger or under the radar? (See what I did there?)
Shields’ high school coaches describe him as an “athletic freak,” and Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said this about nabbing him as a last-minute addition: “We evaluated the film, myself, (assistant coach James Coley), and coach (Kirby) Smart, and decided to give him an opportunity. We’re glad he’s here. He’s a hard-working young man. He’s young. He didn’t get to go through the spring, so he’s still learning. I’m glad he’s a Bulldog.”
Who knows how everything will shake out at receiver for Georgia this season, and of course we’ll all be looking for quarterback Gunner Stockton’s game to take a step forward, too, but Shields is my sleeper pick of someone who could surprise us and make an early impact."
