Defensive Front
Blue-chip defensive front with limited live snaps
Georgia reloads the interior defensive line with former five-star recruits who have not started full seasons. Talent is present; production is unproven.
SEC FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 5 OF 16
GEORGIA BULLDOGS
2026 Season Snapshot • Athens, Georgia
11-2 (7-1 SEC)
SEC
2026 Schedule
Live schedule, lines and results for Georgia.
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HEAD COACH
HANDICAPPING PROFILEHEAD COACH
Kirby Smart — 11th season at Georgia
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
117–21 at Georgia (.848)
Two national titles (2021, 2022), four SEC titles (2017, 2022, 2024, 2025), and five straight 10+ win seasons — the longest active streak of dominance in the sport. 56-5 at home in the Smart era, including a 33-game home winning streak from 2019-2025 and a 9-0 mark at home against top-10 opponents.
GEORGIA ATS RECORD
0–15–1 ATS when favored by 38.5+ points
Georgia has never covered a spread that large under Smart — he simply doesn't chase style points once games are decided. A notable fade angle for bettors any time Georgia is a monster favorite against an overmatched non- conference opponent, regardless of how good the roster is.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$13.28M
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Classic City Collective
Coach salary per Yahoo Sports/Newsweek (USA Today database): $13.003M base + $279,580 additional athletically-related income, the highest total pay of any college football coach. Georgia has not disclosed a team NIL figure.
HANDICAPPING NOTES
- Blowout-spread fade is real and repeatable: 0-15-1 ATS at 38.5+ points is not noise — Smart pulls starters and coasts once games are in hand. Treat Georgia as an automatic "avoid" as a season-opening-type mega favorite.
- Elite home-field, but Smart doesn't blow teams out there either: 56-5 at home says more about consistency than margin — expect controlled, low-variance wins more often than statement blowouts.
- CFP disappointment two years running: Back-to-back CFP quarterfinal losses (Notre Dame 2024, Ole Miss 2025) despite 11+ win regular seasons — worth watching whether that trend continues into a third playoff appearance.
COORDINATORS & SCHEME
OFFENSE / DEFENSEOFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Mike Bobo — 12th season (4th consecutive) • Pro spread
A run-first, ball-control approach that leans on structure over explosiveness — Georgia ranked just 124th of 138 teams nationally in offensive explosiveness in 2025 despite a top-15 overall offense (32.1 ppg). Smart has publicly and repeatedly backed Bobo despite outside criticism of the scoring dip since 2023.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Glenn Schumann — 8th season • Base 3-4
Co-DC Travaris Robinson runs the secondary. A physical, multiple 3-4 that has anchored Georgia's sustained run of dominance; both coordinators were extended through 2028, a clear signal of continuity heading into 2026.
2025 SEASON RECAP
RECORD & VENUE NOTES2025 RECORD
12–2 (7–1 SEC)
SEC Champions (W 28-7 over Alabama). Lost the CFP Quarterfinal to Ole Miss, 34-39, after an 11-1 regular season — Georgia's second straight CFP quarterfinal exit.
HOME FIELD
Sanford Stadium
Natural grass, Athens. One of the sport's most dominant true home environments — 56-5 under Smart with a 33-game winning streak from 2019-2025. A significant, quantifiable home-field edge for any visiting handicapper to respect.
PRIMARY SKILL PLAYERS
2026 PROJECTED STARTERS| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Gunner Stockton | Sr | ★★★★★ | All-SEC returning starter who beat Alabama in the SEC title game; unquestioned QB1 with a growing role in the run game. |
| RB1 | Nate Frazier | Soph | ★★★★★ | Second-team All-SEC as a true freshman; the clear engine of a run game considered the strength of the 2026 offense. |
| WR1 | Zachariah Branch | Jr | ★★★★★ | 5-STAR USC transfer and former five-star, the No. 1 WR prospect in his class; already delivered a signature 47-yard TD screen vs. Florida in 2025. |
| WR2 | Noah Thomas | — | ★★★★★ | Texas A&M transfer (6'6"); led the Aggies with 39 catches, 574 yds, 8 TD in 2024 — gives Georgia a red-zone target it lacked. |
QB1Gunner StocktonSr★★★★★
All-SEC returning starter who beat Alabama in the SEC title game; unquestioned QB1 with a growing role in the run game.
RB1Nate FrazierSoph★★★★★
Second-team All-SEC as a true freshman; the clear engine of a run game considered the strength of the 2026 offense.
WR1Zachariah BranchJr★★★★★
5-STAR
USC transfer and former five-star, the No. 1 WR prospect in his class; already delivered a signature 47-yard TD screen vs. Florida in 2025.
WR2Noah Thomas—★★★★★
Texas A&M transfer (6'6"); led the Aggies with 39 catches, 574 yds, 8 TD in 2024 — gives Georgia a red-zone target it lacked.
OFFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnest Greene | OT | — | ★★★★★ | Preseason First-Team All-SEC; former four-star (St. John Bosco) in his final season, one of four "proven building blocks" up front per the staff. |
| Drew Bobo | C | — | ★★★★★ | Former three-star signee (son of OC Mike Bobo); 2025 Second- Team All-SEC and part of an experienced interior. |
| Glover & Gaston | OL | — | ★★★★★ | Round out a line the staff considers a real strength for 2026, with health as the main swing factor. |
Earnest GreeneOT—★★★★★
Preseason First-Team All-SEC; former four-star (St. John Bosco) in his final season, one of four "proven building blocks" up front per the staff.
Drew BoboC—★★★★★
Former three-star signee (son of OC Mike Bobo); 2025 Second- Team All-SEC and part of an experienced interior.
Glover & GastonOL—★★★★★
Round out a line the staff considers a real strength for 2026, with health as the main swing factor.
HANDICAPPING NOTE — O-LINE
- This is one of the more experienced, healthy-when-healthy lines in the SEC — a real asset behind a run game that's already considered the offense's strength.
DEFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Elijah Griffin | DT | Returning starter anchoring the interior of a top-10 caliber defensive line. |
| Gabe Harris | DE | Returning starter off the edge. |
Elijah GriffinDT
Returning starter anchoring the interior of a top-10 caliber defensive line.
Gabe HarrisDE
Returning starter off the edge.
LINEBACKERS
2026 PROJECTED- Quintavius Johnson returns at outside linebacker as a key returning starter in Schumann's 3-4. Georgia's front seven remains one of the deepest, most experienced units in the conference even after losing pieces to the NFL Draft.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis Robinson IV | CB | ★★★★★ | NFL WATCH5-STAR Five-star signee (2024, No. 2 overall); 2025 Second-Team All-SEC with 4 INT (tied for the SEC lead among defensive players) including a pick-six vs. Tennessee. |
| KJ Bolden | S | ★★★★★ | 5-STAR Former five-star signee (2024, No. 7 overall, No. 1 safety); junior safety Smart has repeatedly singled out as one of the defense's best playmakers, a First-Team Preseason All-American. |
Ellis Robinson IVCB★★★★★
NFL WATCH5-STAR
Five-star signee (2024, No. 2 overall); 2025 Second-Team All-SEC with 4 INT (tied for the SEC lead among defensive players) including a pick-six vs. Tennessee.
KJ BoldenS★★★★★
5-STAR
Former five-star signee (2024, No. 7 overall, No. 1 safety); junior safety Smart has repeatedly singled out as one of the defense's best playmakers, a First-Team Preseason All-American.
SPECIAL TEAMS
KICKING, PUNTING & RETURN GAME- Overall: Georgia's specialist units have been steady rather than a betting factor either way under Smart — no major red flags, but also nothing that materially swings totals. Standard SEC-caliber operation; confirm kicker/punter names closer to Week 1 given normal offseason competition.
Betting profile — vs. the number
2025 ATS
6-8
42.9% cover rate — 47th of 82
2025 Straight up
12-2
Point differential +203
Scoring environment
49.6
Combined points per game — 57th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
3-4 · 2-1
Totals 5-9 O/U (2-5 home, 2-1 road)
Points scored / allowed
32.1 per game scored (19th) · 17.6 allowed (7th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +14.5 (11th) · Strength of schedule +1.8
- Home / road: Home 3-4 ATS, road 2-1 ATS (neutral-site games excluded).
- Home / road: Totals 5-9 O/U — 2-5 at home, 2-1 on the road.
- Trend: 2025 ATS 6-8 (42.9% cover rate) across 14 games.
- Trend: Averaged 32.1 points and allowed 17.6, a 49.6 combined per-game scoring environment.
Power ratings — strength against the field
SRS power rating
+14.8
8th of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
+8
14th of 82
Defensive SRS
+10.1
8th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+14.5 · 11th of 82
Against the spread
6-8 (42.9%) · 47th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
49.6 · 57th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Notes
Saved Just J research for Georgia.
Coaching
Coordinator stability on both sides
Both coordinators return, which historically shows up in early-season execution against unfamiliar opponents.
Offensive Line
Sanford Stadium night games
Georgia's home environment in prime time is a factor to weigh, particularly for opponents with new offensive line combinations and silent-count needs.
Notes are maintained in the Admin area — no code changes required.