Take a look at some of the top transfers that the Bulldogs will be facing this fall.
Jordan D. Hill
Believe it or not, we're slowly but surely closing in on the 2024 season. We're a little over three months away from the first games of the fall, which means it's a great time to start looking ahead at the competition that awaits Georgia.
The Bulldogs have a difficult 2024 schedule ahead thanks in large part to a tough road slate. Georgia will open the season with a game against Clemson in Atlanta, which marks the second time in three seasons that the Bulldogs have opened the season with a neutral-site game in Atlanta. The Bulldogs then host Tennessee Tech before playing at Kentucky then having their first bye week of 2024.
The Bulldogs follow the bye week with a trip to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama followed by a home game against rival Auburn. Georgia hosts Mississippi State the following week before a historic trip to Texas, which will be the first meeting between the two teams as conference foes.
Georgia has a bye week following the game in Austin before traveling to Jacksonville for its annual game against Florida. The Bulldogs then play at Ole Miss, then host Tennessee in Georgia's final conference game of the season. The Bulldogs close out the regular season with non-conference home games against UMass and Georgia Tech.
To prepare for the upcoming season, this week we're taking a closer look at the competition and how they're shaping up for 2024. We'll start by looking at who was the biggest player each of the 12 teams landed in the transfer portal this offseason:
CLEMSON: NONE
Huh, that's strange.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has refused to use the transfer portal and stuck with the Tigers' traditional high school recruiting methods. The only exceptions the last few years have been at quarterback: they added Arizona State transfer Paul Tyson in 2023 and Northwestern quarterback Hunter Johnson — who started his career at Clemson — in 2022.
Swinney raised some eyebrows last week when discussing the Tigers' inactivity in the portal.
"There's three types of players in the portal," Swinney said. "It's really pretty simple. Most of the guys in the portal aren't good enough to play for us. That's just the reality of it … The majority of guys, they're guys that are in the portal because they want to have a chance to start somewhere. They're not playing where they are. They're not good enough to come in and play for us. We'd rather take a good high school player as long as we can get them, which we do, and you develop them."
TENNESSEE TECH: WIDE RECEIVER JORDAN YATES
If you recognized the name Jordan Yates, there's a reason: he was the starting quarterback at Georgia Tech once upon a time.
Yates played in 20 games at Georgia Tech before transferring to Sam Houston State, where he initially played quarterback before moving to wide receiver. He is expected to play receiver for a Golden Eagles team that is now led by former Old Dominion head coach Bobby Wilder.
Other notable portal additions: New Hampshire WR DJ Linkins, Michigan RB Leon Franklin, Missouri QB Dylan Laible
KENTUCKY: QUARTERBACK BROCK VANDAGRIFF
Brock Vandagriff bided his time at Georgia with hopes of being the Bulldogs' starting quarterback one day. That never came to pass, so he left for Kentucky and is in line to be QB1.
Vandagriff spent three seasons at Georgia and completed 12 passes for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns in that time. He was the backup to Carson Beck in 2023 and wound up playing in eight games before entering the transfer portal after the SEC Championship Game.
Vandagriff looks set to be Kentucky's starting quarterback in 2024. His addition makes for an interesting Week 3 matchup between the Wildcats and the Bulldogs in Lexington.
Other notable portal additions: LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson, WR Raymond Cottrell, Alabama S Kristian Story
ALABAMA: CENTER PARKER BRAILSFORD
Alabama made some big pick-ups in the transfer portal this offseason, though none were as impressive as center Parker Brailsford.
Brailsford had an outstanding freshman season at Washington and started all 15 games for the national title runner-up. He ended the season as the starting center for the Joe Moore Award winners and was named a Freshman All-American by College Football Network, College Football News, PFF, AFCA, and the FWAA. He was also named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team and was a Shaun Alexander Award semifinalist, which is given annually to the nation's top freshman.
Brailsford is going to be an instant-impact offensive lineman for Alabama and is sure to help set the tone up front for years to come.
Other notable portal additions: DE LT Overton, USC CB Domani Jackson, Michigan S Keon Sabb
AUBURN: WIDE RECEIVER KEANDRE LAMBERT-SMITH
The Auburn passing game was dreadful last season and ended the year averaging just over 162 yards per game. The Tigers stuck with quarterback Payton Thorne and upgraded the receivers around him, with their biggest addition being Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith.
Lambert-Smith entered the portal after spring practice and is set to be a major contributor on the Tigers' 2024 offense. Lambert-Smith led the Nittany Lions with 53 catches for 673 yards last season to go along with 4 touchdown catches.
Stepping in at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Lambert-Smith was a needed veteran in an upgraded receiver room featuring four highly-touted freshmen in Cam Coleman, Percy Thompson, Malcolm Simmons, and Bryce Cain. Expect to hear Lambert-Smith's name a lot as the Tigers look for a bounceback season.
Other notable portal additions: TE Rico Walker, OT Percy Lewis, WR Robert Lewis
MISSISSIPPI STATE: LINEBACKER STONE BLANTON
The Bulldogs brought in a few Group of 5 additions who have a high upside but will have to adjust to life in the SEC. That won't be the case for former South Carolina linebacker Stone Blanton, who knows good and well what he's getting into.
Blanton burst onto the scene as a sophom*ore in 2023 and ended the year with 52 tackles, 3 pass break-ups, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. He also had an 88-yard pick-six late in the season against Jacksonville State.
The Jackson, Mississippi native decided to move closer to home and suit up for a Bulldogs' program looking for a return to relevance under new head coach Jeff Lebby. While Lebby works to get the Mississippi State offense moving in the right direction, you can bet that Blanton is going to help his side of the ball make positive strides.
Other notable portal additions: TE Cameron Ball, OG Ethan Miner, WR Kevin Coleman
TEXAS: WIDE RECEIVER ISAIAH BOND
Texas hit a home run in the portal by landing Isaiah Bond in the aftermath of Nick Saban's retirement.
Bond posted a team-high 48 catches for the Crimson Tide last season and ended the year with 668 yards and 4 touchdowns. Bond caught at least 5 passes in five games last season and played a big role in the Crimson Tide's SEC title game victory by catching 5 passes for 79 yards.
Bond is expected to be a leading receiver for a Texas team that is hoping to hit the ground running as members of the SEC. Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers will have his hands full thanks to the competition level going up, but having Bond on the outside will certainly make things easier.
Other notable portal additions: EDGE Trey Moore, S Andrew Mukuba, TE Amari Niblack
FLORIDA: OFFENSIVE GUARD JASON ZANDAMELA
Florida picked up a few notable players from the portal, though none more impressive than USC offensive lineman Jason Zandamela. Zandamela, who picked Florida over UCF, was viewed as the No. 7 overall player on the 247Sports transfer portal board. He was the No. 1 offensive guard prospect in the 2024 high school class.
Zandamela will join the Gators with a legitimate chance to start as a redshirt freshman. The Gators' offense is hoping to take a step forward in Year 3 of the Billy Napier era, and it will take good work up front from the likes of Zandamela to make that possible.
Other notable portal additions: CB Cormani McClain, DT Joey Slackman, LB Grayson Howard
OLE MISS: DEFENSIVE TACKLE WALTER NOLEN
Ole Miss has been one of the busiest teams during the transfer portal era, and the Rebels loaded up again this offseason. Ole Miss brought in the No. 1 portal class with 22 transfers, though none were higher-rated than defensive tackle Walter Nolen.
Nolen, who was seen as the No. 3 transfer portal prospect behind only Caleb Downs and Kadyn Proctor, made an impact early on at Texas A&M. The No. 2 overall prospect in the 2022 cycle, Nolen racked up 66 tackles and 11 tackles for loss over the past two seasons with the Aggies, which included an impressive 2023 season in which he had 37 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, and a pass break-up.
Nolen was one of several new pieces for an Ole Miss defense that looks to take a step forward and help the Rebels contend for the playoff this season. While it remains to be seen if the Rebels' defense is up for the challenge, rest assured that Nolen will be.
Other notable portal additions: OLB Princely Umanmielen, WR Antwane Wells Jr., CB Trey Amos
TENNESSEE: OFFENSIVE TACKLE LANCE HEARD
A lot of players enter the transfer portal with hopes of a bigger role with their new team. That appears to have been the motivation for former LSU tackle Lance Heard, who was far and away the biggest name that the Volunteers added this offseason.
A former 5-star tackle from Monroe, Louisiana, Heard appeared in 12 games and made one start at right tackle last season as a true freshman. He is in line to replace starting right tackle Gerald Mincey, who transferred to Kentucky.
Heard is a promising young tackle who looks set to make an immediate impact at Tennessee. The Vols are hoping to surprise with redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava now leading the way, and the onus is on Heard and the others around Iamaleava to set him up for success.
Other notable portal additions: TE Holden Staes, WR Chris Brazzell II, CB Jermod McCoy
UMASS: TIGHT END DOMINICK MAZOTTI
Longtime college football defensive coordinator Don Brown has been working to rebuild the UMass program. While the Minutemen have their work cut out for them in the transfer portal, they added a quality tight end in former San Jose State tight end Dominick Mazotti.
Mazotti joins UMass after a strong junior season with the Spartans. He was San Jose State's third-leading receiver with 23 receptions and 322 yards, and although he only found the end zone twice, he played an important role in a San Jose State offense that averaged 31.8 points per game.
Mazotti is starting over after San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan left for Arizona. UMass has been one of the worst FBS teams in recent years, but Mazotti and his teammates will be working to change that this fall.
Other notable portal additions: OT Luke Painton, CB Leonard St. Gourdin, CB Ryan Barnes
GEORGIA TECH: EDGE ROMELLO HEIGHT
Romello Height has bounced around college football over the course of his career. He'll look to make an impact a little closer to home, as the Dublin native will be suiting up for the Yellow Jackets this fall.
Height played in 10 games over the course of two seasons at Auburn in 2020-21 before transferring to USC. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury after two games in 2022 before bouncing back in 2023 with 20 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks last fall.
Georgia Tech is revamping things with the hiring of Duke's Tyler Santucci as defensive coordinator. Height is in prime position to play a big role on this defense; let's see if he can take advantage.
