Tag: Georgia Football

Former Georgia OT commits to Bill Belichick, UNC football

Former Georgia offensive tackle, former four-star recruit is planning to transfer to the UNC Tar Heels

Former Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Chad Lindberg is transferring to the North Carolina Tar Heels and new head coach Bill Belichick. Lindberg has one year of eligibility remaining and announced his commitment to UNC via social media.

Last offseason, Lindberg transferred from Georgia to the Rice Owls last spring. At UNC, Lindberg is reunited with one of his former Georgia teammates in offensive lineman Austin Blaske, who started at center for UNC last season.

Belichick is known for having some of the best offensive lines in NFL history during his time with the New England Patriots, so UNC has major appeal for offensive line transfers and recruits.

In 2024, Lindberg started at left guard for Rice. He appeared in 11 games for the Owls, who finished the season 4-8. Lindberg’s hometown is League City, Texas.

Lindberg, a former four-star recruit, played in 12 games for Georgia throughout the 2023 college football season. He did not participate in 2024 spring practice for Georgia. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound senior offensive tackle played in 22 career game with UGA.

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Lindberg has the upside to be a starter at a Power Four school. The 2025 college football season will be his last year of eligibility.

Who does Georgia match up better with: Indiana or Notre Dame?

Which team matches up with Georgia football better? Notre Dame or Indiana

The College Football Playoff kicks off this week and the first game will determine Georgia’s opponent in their quarterfinal matchup. The Indiana Hoosiers will take a short trip to South Bend to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, with the winner advancing to meet Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. So, who would be the better matchup for the Bulldogs?

For starters, Kirby Smart has a 2-0 record against Notre Dame during his tenure at Georgia. The Bulldogs defeated the Fighting Irish in South Bend in 2017 and again in Athens in 2019. However, those wins came before Marcus Freeman took over as Notre Dame’s head coach, so this would be an unfamiliar territory for Smart and Georgia.

With Gunner Stockton starting at quarterback for Georgia, the key factor will be how the Bulldogs’ rushing attack matches up against the opposing defense. Notre Dame boasts a strong defense, particularly in the secondary, but their defensive line lacks interior size compared to the nation’s best. Even though Georgia might feel confident about its chances against Notre Dame, Indiana seems like the more favorable opponent.

The Hoosiers have struggled against teams of Georgia’s caliber, as shown when Ohio State won convincingly against them earlier this season. Indiana has also had difficulty running the ball against top-tier opponents, which forces them into a one-dimensional passing offense. While their passing game has had some success this year, it hasn’t been enough to carry them in tough matchups.

On paper, both Notre Dame and Indiana offer intriguing matchups for Georgia and should provide an entertaining game. However, if Bulldogs fans had to choose, Indiana seems like the better team to face in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinals.

How Notre Dame and Indiana football compare

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
  Notre Dame Indiana
College Football Playoff ranking 5 8
Record 11-1 11-1
Strength of schedule 59 67
Points per game 39.8 43.3
Points allowed per game 13.6 14.7
Ranked wins 1 0
FPI ranking 2 10
Total yards per game 421.3 438.8
Yards allowed per game 296.8 244.8

Carson Beck injury status update ahead of Sugar Bowl

Georgia QB Carson Beck injury status update ahead of College Football Playoff quarterfinal

Carson Beck will miss Georgia’s Sugar Bowl matchup in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. On3’s Pete Nakos first reported via social media that Beck’s ulnar collateral ligament (elbow) injury will sideline him for the Sugar Bowl against either Notre Dame or Indiana.

Beck sustained the injury on the final play of the first half during the SEC championship game. The Jacksonville native, who considered entering the NFL draft last year but chose to return for one more season, completed 64.7% of his passes in 2025, throwing for 3,485 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also added a rushing touchdown.

The injury occurred as Beck attempted a Hail Mary with Georgia trailing 6-3 in the SEC championship. While trying to bye time, he was hit by a Texas pass rusher as he threw, causing his arm to twist awkwardly. Beck stayed on the ground for a couple of minutes before walking off the field under his own power, his right arm hanging at his side. He returned to the sideline in the second half with ice on his elbow and shoulder.

In overtime, Texas scored a field goal on its opening possession. On Georgia’s turn, an eight-yard Gunner Stockton run set the Bulldogs up at the Texas four-yard line, but Stockton had to come out after losing his helmet on the play. Beck returned for a single snap to hand the ball off to Trevor Etienne, who scored the game-winning touchdown. That final handoff may have marked the last play of Beck’s 2024 season and secured the SEC championship for Georgia.

After the SEC championship, Beck and UGA have been searching for second opinions on his injury. During the time away, Gunner Stockton has been taking the first team reps. In the six drives, Stockton was the quarterback he helped lead the Bulldogs on four scoring drives.

Miami transfer WR visiting Georgia, two more SEC schools

Georgia football is a contender to land Miami Hurricanes transfer wide receiver Isaiah Horton

Wide receiver remains Georgia football’s primary focus in the transfer portal. The Georgia Bulldogs are preparing to host another standout pass catcher soon. Miami sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Horton has planned visits to Alabama and Texas A&M, with Georgia also expected to host him per On3’s social media account.

Horton, originally from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, tallying 56 receptions for 616 yards and five touchdowns. He hit the 100-yard mark in one game and recorded 70 or more yards in four other games.

Horton was a highly regarded four-star prospect coming out of high school. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 205 pounds, he was ranked as the nation’s No. 337 overall player and No. 54 wide receiver in the On3 Industry Ranking, which averages ratings from all four major recruiting services. He also ranked as the No. 12 player in Tennessee.

Horton has two seasons of eligibility remaining. If he commits to Georgia, then it would be the second straight year a Miami receiver has transferred to UGA (Colbie Young last offseason) and the third time in the Kirby Smart era (Lawrence Cager).

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Georgia recently hosted another wide receiver, Kentucky’s Dane Key. Key, who was Kentucky’s leading receiver, visited earlier this week and is predicted to commit to the Bulldogs.

Carson Beck’s elbow injury will reportedly sideline him for Georgia’s College Football Playoff run

Georgia is reportedly preparing to be without Carson Beck for the College Football Playoff.

Georgia has a first-round bye in this year’s College Football Playoff, but the team is reportedly preparing to be without its starting quarterback.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Chris Low and Mark Schlabach reported on Thursday evening that Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck is exploring surgery options to repair an elbow injury on his throwing arm sustained during the SEC title game.

Beck having surgery would undoubtedly knock him out of playing in the postseason and most likely end his career at Georgia.

With the 2025 NFL Draft just around the corner, Beck will most likely declare as a potential first-round option.

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton should take over for Beck for the College Football Playoff, where he will be tasked in leading the Bulldogs to a national title. No pressure, right?

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Former Georgia QB Aaron Murray ranks Gunner Stockton last among CFP QBs

Why former Georgia Bulldogs QB Aaron Murray ranks Gunner Stockton last among College Football Playoff quarterbacks

The College Football Playoff is approaching and former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray ranked likely starter Gunner Stockton last among the starting quarterbacks in the playoff.

Dillon Gabriel of Oregon is No. 1 on Murray’s list. Penn State’s Drew Allar checks in at No. 2 and Texas’s Quinn Ewers is ranked No. 5.

With Stockton coming off a very effective half that helped secure an SEC championship, Bulldog fans questioned why Stockton is last on the list.

“Yes, we have seen maybe one full game combined this entire season for him. Let’s see what the young man can do with his first start,” Murray said while explaining his decision on the Stockton ranking via social media.

Georgia does not play for another two weeks, so this is excellent practice time to for Stockton to prepare for his first career start. Murray’s list is a little extra motivation for the quarterback expected to start in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.

Georgia football contender for Nebraska transfer RB

Nebraska RB, who ranked No. 3 in Big Ten rushing touchdowns among RBs, enters the transfer portal and Georgia is in the race

Nebraska Cornhusker running back Dante Dowdell has entered the transfer portal on Monday. Kentucky is set to get the first visit from the former top-200 recruit with two years of eligibility remaining. On3’s Steve Wiltfong reported on Wednesday night that Dowdell is considering Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Michigan via social media.

The Big Ten transfer started his career at Oregon before rushing for 614 yards and 12 touchdowns as a true sophomore with Nebraska in 2024. Dante Dowdell led the Cornhuskers in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns as a sophomore. Only three Big Ten tailbacks rushed for more touchdowns than Dowdell last season.

The running back room is already one of the deeper positions within this Georgia roster. Running back Trevor Etienne has the chance to go into the NFL draft, which opens up a chance for Dowdell to bring a healthy competition to the Georgia running back room in 2025. UGA is expected to return freshman Nate Frazier.

Joel Klatt makes bold national championship prediction

Fox Sports college football expert Joel Klatt predicts that a Big Ten team will beat Georgia in the national championship

Fox Sports college football expert Joel Klatt has predicted who he thinks will win the national championship. Klatt made his national championship prediction on “The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast”.

Klatt predicts that Georgia Bulldogs will play against the Oregon Ducks in the national championship. Klatt has Oregon beating Ohio State in the Rose Bowl (quarterfinals) and Oregon beating Texas in the seminfinals.

“I think Oregon beats Texas. Their (Oregon’s) speed… they are dynamic. I think Oregon goes to the national championship game and they would face Georgia,” said Klatt.

Klatt predicts that Georgia will beat Indiana in the Sugar Bowl (quarterfinals). “I do like Georgia against either Indiana or Notre Dame,” said Klatt. He considers the Indiana-Notre Dame game to be a toss up.

“You just can’t quit Kirby Smart,” said Klatt. “When Kirby Smart gets into these situations… they win the game. Do we think that James Franklin and Penn State will be able to beat Georgia (in the playoff semifinals) on a neutral? Oh man, that’s a tough one. I think it could be close, but I’ve got Oregon and Georgia as the national championship game as Dan Lanning takes on his former team.”

Klatt has Oregon winning the national championship over Georgia, which is a bit of a surprise since Georgia would have a significant crowd advantage for the game.

“Remember, the first game that Dan Lanning coached at Oregon was against Georgia and they weren’t close. And now, I’ve got Oregon winning the national championship, beating Kirby Smart, beating Georgia in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium down there in Atlanta,” Klatt said. “The same stadium UGA beat Oregon 49-3 in that first game back in 2022.”

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Georgia has a tall task ahead with back up quarterback Gunner Stockton, but the media is not necessarily doubting the Bulldogs after UGA topped Texas to win the SEC championship game.

Georgia misses out on SEC quarterback transfer target

Georgia football misses out on Alabama football transfer quarterback Dylan Lonergan.

The Georgia Bulldogs have been targeting quarterbacks since the transfer portal opened. One of their recent targets was Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Dylan Lonergan, a former four-star recruit in the class of 2023.

Similar to Jackson Arnold, Georgia was unable to land Lonergan. Instead, he committed to the Boston College Eagles, where he will play under coach Bill O’Brien, a former Alabama offensive coordinator.

Lonergan, the No. 13 quarterback in his class of 2023, was recruited by the Bulldogs coming out of high school. However, he chose to sign with Alabama. In 2024 with the Crimson Tide, he played sparingly, throwing for 23 yards on five completions and running for 16 yards.

Five-star Ty Thompson is projected to be Alabama’s future quarterback when Jalen Milroe leaves. With Boston College, Lonergan has a clear path to starting.

Georgia is still in the running for other transfer quarterbacks, including Cal’s Fernando Mendoza and Charlotte’s DeShawn Purdie. Signing one of those arms will strengthen Georgia’s transfer class, which has no current commitments.

‘College GameDay’ announces locations for first-round of CFP

ESPN’s “College GameDay” will attend two different campuses for the first round of the College Football Playoff

ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be attending two first-round games of the College Football Playoff. GameDay plans to attend the Indiana Hoosiers at Notre Dame Fighting Irish game on Friday, Dec. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The crew will be another show from the Tennessee Volunteers at Ohio State Buckeyes game on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 9 a.m. ET.

This weekend will be a treat for college football games. Friday and Saturday have four first-round playoff games that will all be hosted from college campuses.

The first of the four first-round games is Notre Dame versus Indiana at 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 20. Next will be a trio of games of on Saturday starting with SMU at Penn State at noon, then Clemson at Texas at 4:00 p.m. ET and finally Tennessee at Ohio State at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State all have byes in the first round of the playoff after winning their respective conferences.

GameDay most recently attended the SEC championship between Georgia and Texas in Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia won in the SEC championship’s first ever overtime game with a walk-off touchdown. 

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GameDay will begin coverage from South Bend, Indiana, at 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday and at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday from Columbus, Ohio (ESPN). Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee all serve as college football analysts for GameDay.