Tag: georgia football transfers

Former Georgia DL enters 2025 NFL draft

Georgia football transfer defensive lineman, who is now on Texas, announces his NFL draft plans

Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Bill Norton has declared for the 2025 NFL draft. Norton played at Georgia from 2019-2022 before transferring to the Arizona Wildcats.

Norton, who is not ranked in Pro Football Focus’ top 250 NFL draft prospects, played rotational snaps for the Texas defensive line in 2024.

Norton totaled 12 tackles over four seasons at UGA before transferring to the Arizona. With the Wildcats, Norton posted a career-best 31 tackles, three pass deflections and two forced fumbles.

After the 2023 college football season, Norton transferred to the Texas Longhorns. The 6-foot-6, 335-pound defensive lineman recorded 14 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble for the Longhorns this season. Norton had just one sack in his college career, but he recorded it in the College Football Playoff.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart spoke about Norton’s time in Athens back in October.

“What a great kid man, this guy worked his tail off here and worked really hard,” Smart said. “One of his key roles was with special teams, he played on our field goal protection unit and was the best at doing it.”

Norton’s contributions on special teams don’t show up in the box score, but there’s no doubt it is an important role. However, the ability to play on special teams helps his cause in the NFL.

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Norton was part of an elite Texas defense in 2024 and will hope to carve out a role in the NFL. He won two national championships at UGA, but went 0-2 against the Bulldogs in 2024.

Former Georgia WR declares for NFL draft after breakout season

Former Georgia wide receiver finished the 2024 college football season second-leading leading receiver in the ACC

Former Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Jackson Meeks has declared for the 2025 NFL draft after a breakout season with the Syracuse Orange. Meeks finished the 2024 college football season as the No. 2 leading receiver in the ACC (as of Dec. 31).

Meeks, who transferred to Syracuse after the 2023 college football season, was one of three ACC receivers who recorded more than 1,000 receiving yards. Meeks helped Syracuse go 10-3. The former Georgia receiver finished 2024 with a career-best 78 receptions for 1,021 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Meeks was a major part of the Orange’s elite passing game.

The Syracuse receiver helped his NFL draft stock significantly with his senior season. Meeks took the time to thank Georgia and Syracuse in a letter in which he announced his decision to declare for the NFL draft.

“Coach (Kirby) Smart. You taught me patience and resilience that has been invaluable. You have shown me that success is not just about talent, it’s about perseverance and effort in the face of adversity,” Meeks said.

“Those lessons have shaped not only my approach to the game but to life itself. Thank you for pushing me beyond my limits and instilling a sense of perseverance that I will carry with me for a lifetime,” continued Meeks.

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Syracuse beat Washington State in the Holiday Bowl to cap an excellent first season under coach Fran Brown, a former Georgia defensive backs coach. It is clear Meeks and other Syracuse players love playing for Brown.

Four Georgia football transfers are in the CFP

Every former Georgia Bulldog playing in the College Football Playoff.

Four Georgia Bulldogs transfers are in the 2024 College Football Playoff.

Most notably, Georgia could face a pair of former Dawgs in the semifinals. Both of Penn State’s starting cornerbacks, A.J. Harris and Jalen Kimber, are former Georgia Bulldogs.

Sophomore A.J. Harris has blossomed for Penn State. Harris, Kimber and the Nittany Lions have the No. 16 passing defense in the country (178.5 yards per game).

Harris has 39 tackles, four pass deflections and one interception this season. He saw less and less playing time as the 2023 season went on, so the former five-star recruit elected to transfer to Penn State, and his decision has paid off.

Kimber, who played at Georgia from 2020-2021, is a former four-star recruit. Kimber transferred to Florida and played there from 2022-2023. Now, the senior cornerback has a career-best 26 tackles for Penn State. Kimber also has a pair of pass deflections.

Penn State’s opening round playoff game is at home against the SMU Mustangs on Saturday, Dec. 21 at noon ET. Of course, SMU has a former Georgia Bulldog on its roster: defensive lineman Jonathan Jefferson. Jefferson, a senior, has posted a career-high 14 tackles and two pass deflections with the Mustangs.

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Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Bill Norton (15) played at Georgia for four years. Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Lastly, Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Bill Norton began his career at Georgia from 2019-2022. Norton then transferred to Arizona. After one season with the Wildcats, Norton transferred to Texas. He has 11 tackles this season with the Longhorns and is 0-2 against Georgia. Texas could meet UGA for a third time in the national championship.

Georgia transfer ranks among ACC’s top receivers

Former Georgia wide receiver, who is now with Syracuse, is the No. 6 leading receiver in the ACC

Former Georgia Bulldog Jackson Meeks is turning heads with the Syracuse Orange.  Meeks is the No. 6 leading receiver in the ACC with two games left in the regular season.

Meeks has 59 receptions for 691 receiving yards and five touchdowns this season. Amazingly, Meeks is the third leading receiver on Syracuse. The Orange have three of the ACC’s top six leading receivers. Meeks has been a reliable target throughout the season and has helped his NFL draft stock significantly.

Syracuse is a surprising 7-3 under former Georgia Bulldogs defensive backs coach Fran Brown, and a big reason for that is Meeks and the offense. Meeks transferred from Georgia to Syracuse last spring along with fellow receiver Zeed Haynes, who has eight receptions for 97 yards this season.

Brown has done wonders for the Orange and could be a candidate to land a major Power Four job after this season if he does not sign a contract extension.

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Syracuse hosts UConn and Miami over the final two weeks of the season. The Orange will finish with one of their best seasons in recent memory if they’re able to win out.

UGA football transfer is ACC team’s leading receiver

Former Georgia Bulldogs football wide receiver is the leading receiver for Syracuse, who is 5-1 to start the year

Former Georgia Bulldog Jackson Meeks is making a name for himself with the Syracuse Orange. Earlier this month, the UGA transfer was the highest graded wide receiver by Pro Football Focus. This week, he made PFF’s ACC Team for his Week 7 performance.

The receiver was nothing short of dominant against North Carolina State, totaling 116 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions in a 24-17 win. His touchdown effectively won the Orange the game with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Meeks has 459 yards (team-high) and four touchdowns on 38 receptions this season. He has caught a touchdown in each of the last four games, and he’s averaged 96 yards a game during that same span.

Syracuse is a surprising 5-1 under former Georgia Bulldog coordinator Fran Brown, and a big reason for that is Meeks and the offense. Meeks transferred from Georgia to Syracuse last spring, along with Zeed Haynes. The Bulldog transfer has been a star throughout the season, and with more games like these, he could increase his NFL draft stock, too.

 

Meeks and Syracuse have a bye this week before playing Pittsburgh on Oct. 24 in a key ACC game.

Georgia facing former UGA DL transfer, who is now on Texas

Georgia transfer defensive lineman, who is now on Texas, will play his former team on Oct. 19

The Georgia Bulldogs will play against former Georgia defensive lineman Bill Norton on Saturday. Norton played at Georgia from 2019-2022.

He compiled 12 tackles over four seasons at Georgia before transferring to the Arizona Wildcats for the 2023 college football season. With Arizona, Norton posted a career-best 31 tackles, three pass deflections and two forced fumbles.

After the 2023 season, Norton transferred to the Texas Longhorns. The 6-foot-6, 335-pound defensive lineman has recorded four tackles for the Longhorns this season, including two in their most recent game against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart spoke about Norton’s time in Athens.

“What a great kid man, this guy worked his tail off here and worked really hard,” said Smart. “One of his key roles was with special teams, he played on our field goal protection unit and was the best at doing it.”

Norton’s contributions on special teams may not show up in the box score, but there’s no doubt it is an important role.

“He was a backup defensive tackle and played some snaps,” continued Smart. “That was his role then and I want to say maybe in the Ohio State game or one of the games we lost somebody, and he had to go in, take over and play a role at that and he did it with great pride. He was always positive and enjoyed practice and was fun to be around, funny guy.”

Norton is unlikely to play heavy snaps against Georgia. He is part of Texas’ defensive line rotation, but he does not have any sacks this season. The Longhorns have the No. 1 scoring defense in the country, 6.3 points per game.

“Now he’s been I guess two places, and he’s playing for them and he’s doing a really good job,” said Smart. “He subs in and rolls in it’s one of their backup DTs.”

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Norton, who wears No. 15, will play against his former team as No. 1 Texas hosts No. 4 Georgia.

Georgia transfer DE has breakout performance

Former UGA football pass rusher had a strong performance in Florida State’s against California

Former Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker Marvin Jones Jr. had a career day for the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday. Jones Jr. recorded two sacks, six pressures, four tackles and forced a fumble in Florida State’s 14-9 win over the California Bears.

Jones Jr. had two career sacks entering Florida State’s Week 4 game against Cal. The former five-star recruit transferred to Florida State this offseason after spending the first two years of his college football career at Georgia.

The Florida State pass rush dominated against California. The Seminoles recorded seven sacks in a much-needed win.

“No, it’s what these guys are capable of being,” said Florida State head coach Mike Norvell on the Seminoles’ defensive line. “And for wherever we are, we are. And, just like I said earlier, the choice that was made, and the choice just to go be better, the choice to go and to cut it loose and to go play, don’t worry about the circumstances, those will always be there.”

Despite Jones Jr.’s breakout performance against California, things aren’t all going great for the Seminoles. Florida State is only 1-3 through four games and faces a challenging remaining schedule. However, notching a win represented progress for Florida State.

UGA transfer has the No. 11 most tackles in the country

Former UGA football walk-on safety has posted impressive tackle numbers at Jacksonville State

Former Georgia Bulldogs walk-on safety Patrick Taylor has been very productive for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks through two games. Taylor has 24 total tackles to start the season, which is the No. 11 most tackles of any player in the country.

Unfortunately for Taylor and fellow Georgia transfers Clay Webb and Andrew Paul, Jacksonville State is 0-2 to start the season. The Gamecocks have a porous defense that has allowed over 50 points per game of the first two games of the season.

Patrick Taylor joined the Bulldogs as a preferred walk-on in 2020. He is listed at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds and played high school football at Johns Creek in Alpharetta, Georgia. Taylor played in three games and recorded three tackles in 2023 with Georgia, so he is being much more productive with Jacksonville State.

Former Georgia running back Andrew Paul has five carries for seven yards through two games with Jacksonville State, who will look to get back on track in Week 3 against Eastern Michigan.

How UGA transfer QB Brock Vandagriff performed in Week 2

Everything went wrong for former Georgia football quarterback Brock Vandagriff in Kentucky’s ugly 31-6 loss to South Carolina

Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Brock Vandagriff got his second career start for the Kentucky Wildcats in Week 2. Vandagriff and Kentucky suffered a horrendous 31-6 loss at home to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

South Carolina’s defense absolutely dominated Vandagriff and the Kentucky offense. The Wildcats managed just six completions all game. Vandagriff completed just three of 10 passes for 30 yards and he threw a pick-six in the fourth quarter that ended any Kentucky hopes of a win.

Kentucky does not have the best players on the outside, but the Wildcats got whipped up front against South Carolina. The Gamecocks recorded five sacks and forced four Kentucky fumbles.

Vandagriff and fellow Georgia transfer linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson (four tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss) both did not play close to every snap for Kentucky. Vandagriff struggled mightily and was pulled in the fourth quarter in favor of Gavin Wimsatt.

Wimsatt was much more effective as a rusher and finished with six carries for 44 yards. However, he went just three of seven for 14 passing yards and threw an interception. Vandagriff finished with nine rushes for negative 29 yards.

“Just error after error,” said Kentucky coach Mark Stoops during the Wildcats’ loss to South Carolina.

Kentucky is 1-1 and has a lot of questions after their disastrous game against South Carolina. “The Gamecocks defense sacked Vandagriff five times and he was under pressure on nearly every dropback. The passing game became non-existent, and the game quickly got away from the Wildcats,” said Vance Meek of UK Wildcats Wire.

It is unclear who Kentucky will start at quarterback in Week 3 against the Georgia Bulldogs, but what is clear is that is Kentucky’s run game is shutdown, then the Wildcats don’t have much of a chance against the No. 1 team in the country.

Watch UGA football transfer WR scores his first career TD

UGA football transfer wide receiver scores his first career college touchdown with the Purdue Boilermakers

Georgia Bulldogs transfer wide receiver De’Nylon Morrissette in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season. Morrissette hauled in two catches for 27 yards and a touchdown in the Purdue Boilermakers’ 49-0 win over Indiana State.

Purdue has an off week in Week 2 before playing Notre Dame the following week. Morrissette had just four career catches for 34 yards entering the 2024 college football season. Morrissette, a former four-star recruit, is one of three former Bulldogs on the Boilermakers.

Former Georgia outside linebacker CJ Madden recorded two tackles in Purdue’s win. Former Georgia wide receiver CJ Smith did no record any statistics.

Here’s a look at De’Nylon Morrissette’s first career college touchdown.

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Former Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff looked sharp in his first career college start with the Kentucky Wildcats. Vandagriff will play against his former team in Week 3 as Georgia plays at Kentucky in the Bulldogs’ first true road game of 2024.