Tag: Georgia

Dec 30, 2023; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Ja'Khi Douglas (0) is tackled by Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Terrell Foster (30) during the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Florida State, Georgia nix 2027-28 home-and-home series

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Georgia and Florida State are calling off a home-and-home series scheduled for 2027 and 2028.

There was no longer room on their respective calendars after the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference moved to nine-game league schedules.

The Seminoles and Bulldogs already are playing in-state, non-conference rivalry games against Florida and Georgia Tech, respectively, giving both teams 10 Power 4 opponents on their annual schedule.

They could still potentially meet in a neutral-site matchup. Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said he was “optimistic” about making such a deal, per ESPN.

Georgia is 7-4-1 against Florida State, including a 63-3 thumping in their most recent meeting in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30, 2023.

–Field Level Media

Nov 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Chris Cole (9) tackles Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets tight end Brett Seither (80) in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Two Georgia football players arrested on reckless driving charges

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Georgia linebackers Chris Cole and Darren Ikinnagbon were arrested Wednesday on driving-related charges.

Cole was booked at 9:59 p.m. ET at the Athens-Clarke County jail on misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and speeding-maximum limits. He was released at 10:39 p.m. on bonds totaling $26.

Cole had a team-high 4.5 sacks last season and is a projected starter in 2026.

Ikinnagbon, a rising sophomore who played five games as a true freshman in 2025, was booked less than 30 minutes later at 10:27 p.m. on misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, following too closely and speeding-maximum limits. He was released at 11:08 p.m. on bonds totaling $39.

“We are aware of the charges and are actively gathering additional information. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not be providing further comment at this time,” a Georgia sports information representative said in a statement.

This continues what has been a years-long issue of reckless driving troubles within the Georgia football program.

Georgia football player Devin Willock and recruiting staff member Chandler LeCroy were killed in a high-speed crash in January 2023, and three members of the team were arrested on driving charges in 2025.

–Field Level Media

Transfer portal roundup: Notre Dame, Georgia lose additional players

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It’s not always good news in the NCAA’s transfer portal, as Top-15 programs Notre Dame and Georgia demonstrated on Wednesday.

Two Bulldogs, cornerback Ondre Evans and safety Joenel Aguero, announced they would be entering the portal, while Notre Dame had four players enter the portal, with previous entrant defensive back Cree Thomas landing at Colorado.

Wide receiver Antavious “Scrap” Richardson, linebackers Anthony Sacca and Bodie Kahoun and special teams ace Preston Zinter made their intentions to leave the No. 11 Fighting Irish public on Tuesday, giving Notre Dame at least 14 departures so far with no new additions, per 247’s transfer portal tracker.

Five of those players — quarterback Kenny Minchey (Kentucky), pass-rusher Joshua Burnham (Indiana), Thomas, safety JaDon Blair (Missouri) and running back Gi’Bran Payne (Cincinnati) have already found landing places.

The No. 3 Bulldogs are in a similar boat, having lost 10 players to the portal to go along with several recent NFL Draft departees, though Kirby Smart’s program has added Clemson safety Khalil Barnes in return.

If there’s additional solace for fans of those programs, it’s that the most recent departures are light on experience and playing time.

Aguero, a rising senior, has appeared in 36 games over three seasons in Athens, Ga. He has recorded 72 tackles with an interception and three passes defensed. Evans, who will be a redshirt sophomore, has yet to collect any stats.

Thomas was a freshman for the Irish in 2025, appearing in three games and collecting one tackle and a pass defensed.

Sacca and Richardson were also freshmen, not seeing any game action last fall.

Zinter, primarily a special teams player, recorded two solo tackles in 2025 after nabbing four tackles with a blocked punt in 2024.

In other portal news on Wednesday, former Boston College wide receiver Reed Harris, ranked No. 17 overall in 247’s rankings, committed to Arizona State, where he will pair with recent pledge Omarion Miller to give the Sun Devils a dangerous duo on the outside.

No. 14 prospect DJ Lagway, the former Florida quarterback, made some waves by appearing at a Baylor basketball game with Dave Aranda.

Former Southern California defensive lineman Devan Thompkins — No. 23 in 247’s rankings — has announced his new home of Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he will suit up for Alabama in 2026.

And wide receiver Eugene Wilson III found his new home as well. The former Florida standout, ranked 46th by 247, joined Lane Kiffin’s LSU Tigers.

–Field Level Media

Georgia standouts Zachariah Branch, CJ Allen, Oscar Delp declare for draft

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Georgia gained a better idea of what it will need to replace in 2026 on Monday, as the Bulldogs’ top pass-catcher Zachariah Branch and top tackler CJ Allen both declared their intentions to enter the 2026 NFL Draft.

They were joined by top receiving tight end Oscar Delp in announcing their moves on social media.

Branch, a 5-foot-10 wideout, transferred to Georgia after two seasons at Southern California and promptly established himself as the Bulldogs’ top receiving option. He recorded 81 receptions, 54 more than any other player on the roster last fall, compiling 811 yards and six touchdowns in the process.

He added 385 yards on 25 combined kick and punt returns.

Allen, a 6-foot-1 linebacker, paced Georgia with 88 combined tackles in 2025, a year after he nearly led the team with 76 tackles in 2024.

Over his career, Allen totaled 205 tackles to go along with 4.5 sacks and an interception in 41 career games. He also had 10 passes defended, two fumbles forced and a fumble recovery.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Branch as his No. 4 wide receiver and Allen as his No. 3 linebacker for the upcoming draft.

The 6-foot-5 Delp recorded 20 receptions for 261 yards last fall, tops among Georgia tight ends. He finished his Bulldogs career with 70 receptions for 854 yards and nine touchdowns.

Those three join defensive lineman Christen Miller, who announced his departure for the NFL on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Last-minute field goal lifts Ole Miss past Georgia, into CFP semis

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Lucas Carneiro drilled a tiebreaking 47-yard field goal with six seconds left, propelling No. 6 Ole Miss to a 39-34 victory over No. 3 Georgia in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl on Thursday in New Orleans.

Trinidad Chambliss threw a 40-yard pass to De’Zhaun Stribling on third-and-5 with 26 seconds left, leading to Carneiro’s third field goal of the game.

A backwards pass into the end zone on Georgia’s ensuing kickoff return went into the end zone, resulting in a safety with one second left.

Chambliss threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns and Kewan Lacy rushed for 99 yards and two scores for Ole Miss (13-1), which will face No. 10 Miami in a semifinal game at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.

Ole Miss’ Harrison Wallace III made nine receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown, and Stribling hauled in seven catches for 122 yards.

Gunner Stockton threw for 215 yards and a touchdown for Georgia (12-2), which saw its second straight season end in the quarterfinals in New Orleans.

After Georgia held a nine-point halftime lead, Bulldogs kicker Peyton Woodring had a 55-yard field-goal attempt come up short with 8:33 left in the third. From there, Lacy’s 7-yard touchdown rush cut the Rebels’ deficit to 21-19.

Facing a fourth-and-5 from its own 30-yard line, Georgia’s Landon Roldan connected with Lawson Luckie for 16 yards on a fake punt. Woodring’s 37-yarder then put the Bulldogs ahead by five.

Ole Miss took its first lead of the second half as Lacy’s 5-yard touchdown rush was followed with Chambliss’ two-point conversion pass to Wallace, giving the Rebels a 27-24 lead with 11:29 left in the fourth.

Georgia took another gamble on its next drive, going for it on fourth-and-2 from its own 33-yard line. Stockton was sacked, leading to Chambliss’ 13-yard touchdown pass to Wallace, pushing Ole Miss’ lead to 34-24 with 9:02 remaining.

The Bulldogs pulled within three as Stockton’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Zachariah Branch stamped a 75-yard scoring drive that lasted just 1:59.

After forcing a punt, Georgia faced a fourth-and-9 on its 48, and Stockton connected with Branch for 16 yards. A pair of Ole Miss pass interference penalties set Georgia up with a first-and-goal from the 8-yard line, but the Rebels held the Bulldogs to a game-tying 24-yard field goal from Woodring with 56 seconds left.

Carneiro made field goals from 55 and 56 yards in the first quarter, both setting the Sugar Bowl record.

–Field Level Media

Gunner Stockton, No. 3 Georgia return to playoff in rematch with No. 6 Ole Miss

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Ole Miss did just fine in its first rematch of a regular-season game in the College Football Playoff.

But the No. 6 Rebels find themselves in a much different situation in their CFP quarterfinal matchup with No. 3 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night in New Orleans.

Ole Miss (12-1), which defeated Tulane 45-10 on Sept. 20, rolled past the No. 11 Green Wave 41-10 in a first-round game Dec. 20 in Oxford, Miss. But this time the Rebels are hoping the outcome changes as they have a second meeting with the Bulldogs (12-1).

Georgia outlasted Ole Miss 43-35 on Oct. 18 in Athens, Ga., but there have been significant developments in the nine-plus weeks since that game ended.

And some things the Rebels realize will need to change to flip the script in the sequel.

Pete Golding, who was promoted from defensive coordinator to Ole Miss head coach when Lane Kiffin departed to become head coach at LSU at the end of the regular season, said he remembers one thing most of all from the first meeting.

“They didn’t punt,” he said.

The Rebels had a 35-26 lead but were outscored 17-0 in the fourth quarter. They were outgained in the game 510-351.

“I think the biggest thing versus these guys is you’ve got to contest every play,” Golding said. “We can’t give them free things, whether it’s a lack of communication, whether it’s a missed tackle.”

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who passed for 263 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 42 yards and two touchdowns in the first meeting, is the engine for this group.

But Golding said the Rebels will have to run the ball better overall after having just 88 yards on the ground in the first meeting. Kewan Lacy, who has 1,366 rushing yards for the season and a school-record 21 rushing touchdowns, did score twice in the first meeting but had just 31 yards.

Lacy left the victory over Tulane in the third quarter after injuring a shoulder. Ole Miss is hopeful that he’ll be able to start Thursday.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart said the first game is meaningless in preparation for the rematch.

“I don’t think either team is exactly the same,” Smart said. “Both teams have evolved some. And everybody will have new wrinkles. That’s what you do during this time.”

Ole Miss has won its last six games. The Bulldogs have won nine in a row since a 24-21 home loss to Alabama on Sept. 27.

“We didn’t really get tested until the road game at Tennessee (a 44-41 win in the third game of the season),” Smart said. “And then as the season evolved and we’re playing high-level opponents, we were stopping the run pretty well, and we were running the ball pretty well.”

Georgia also has a dangerous dual-threat quarterback in Gunner Stockton, who completed 26 of 31 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns in addition to rushing for 59 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting.

Smart is pleased with the way his defense has evolved over the course of the season, and the scoreless fourth quarter against the Rebels appears to have been a turning point. The Bulldogs have allowed a total of just 70 points in the six games since beating Ole Miss.

Stockton’s first career start came 12 months ago in the Sugar Bowl, a loss to Notre Dame that fed the quarterback’s fire all offseason. He said upon arriving in New Orleans for the playoff matchup that he knows he doesn’t take losses well.

“I know he’s got a bad taste in his mouth about our first opportunity in the playoffs last year,” Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said of his quarterback. “I know it was his first start, but he wants to go out, like our whole football team, and play well in this game and give ourselves a chance to win a ball game.”

–Field Level Media

CFP quarterfinals: Oregon lone lower seed favored

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Oregon coach Dan Lanning was frustrated by his team’s second-half performance on Saturday night, but that didn’t stop oddsmakers from installing the Ducks as the lone road favorite for the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

No. 5 Oregon will square off against No. 4 Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, with the Ducks sitting as a consensus 1.0-point favorite on Sunday.

The other three higher seeds are all at least touchdown favorites.

No. 1 Indiana is a consensus 7.0-point favorite over No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl, while No. 3 Georgia is a 7.5-point favorite against No. 6 in an SEC rematch in the Sugar Bowl. The Crimson Tide opened the playoffs by overcoming a 17-0 deficit at Oklahoma, going on to a 10-point victory after all four road teams lost in the opening round last year.

The biggest spread is owned by No. 2 Ohio State, which opened as an 8.5-point favorite shortly after No. 10 Miami outlasted No. 7 Texas A&M 10-3 on Saturday. However, the consensus line for had moved to 10.0 points by Sunday morning.

The Buckeyes and Hurricanes will play in the first CFP quarterfinal in the Cotton Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET on New Year’s Eve. The other three games will be played on New Year’s Day.

All four teams with first-round byes last season lost their playoff openers.

Ohio State is the strongest favorite to advance to the semifinals at -425 at DraftKings. The Buckeyes are followed by Indiana and Georgia at -260, Oregon (-115), Texas Tech (-105), Alabama and Ole Miss at +210 and Miami (+320).

The Buckeyes are also favorite to win the CFP title at +200.

CFP TITLE ODDS*
Ohio State (+200)
Indiana (+320)
Georgia (+475)
Oregon (+750)
Texas Tech (+800)
Alabama (+1800)
Miami (+2200)
Ole Miss (+2500)
*DraftKings

–Field Level Media

Indiana takes No. 1 spot in AP Top 25 for first time in history

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Undefeated Indiana sits atop the Associated Press Top 25 football poll for the first time in school history after its 13-10 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game Saturday night.

In this week’s poll, released Sunday morning, the Hoosiers earned all 66 first-place votes as they booted the Buckeyes out of first place for the first time after 14 weeks.

Georgia, which won the Southeastern Conference title game over Alabama on Saturday, moved to No. 2, with Ohio State falling to No. 3 and Big 12 champ Texas Tech slotted in at No 4.

In the voting, Georgia finished just 12 points ahead of Ohio State.

Before this season, Indiana had not ranked higher than No. 4.

At this stage of the campaign, the poll takes a back seat to the decisions of the College Football Playoff committee, which will announce the 12 teams that will vie for the national championship early Sunday afternoon.

Here are the top 25 teams, with records included.

1. Indiana, 13-0
2. Georgia, 12-1
3. Ohio State, 12-1
4. Texas Tech, 12-1
5. Oregon, 11-1
6. Ole Miss, 11-1
7. Texas A&M, 11-1
8. Oklahoma, 10-2
9. Notre Dame, 10-2
10. Miami, 10-2
11. Alabama, 10-3
12. BYU, 11-2
13. Vanderbilt, 10-2
14. Texas, 9-3
15. Utah, 10-2
16. Southern California, 9-3
17. Tulane, 11-2
18. Michigan, 9-3
19. James Madison, 12-1
20. Virginia, 10-3
21. Arizona, 9-3
22. Navy, 9-2
23. North Texas, 11-2
24. Georgia Tech, 9-3
25. Missouri, 8-4

–Field Level Media

Reports: Georgia seeking $390K from DE Damon Wilson in transfer damages

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In a case sure to be watched closely by many parties throughout the NCAA, the University of Georgia is seeking damages from a player who pocketed name, image and likeness (NIL) money from the school and subsequently transferred.

Georgia is seeking $390,000 in damages from former defensive end Damon Wilson, according to Friday reports from multiple media outlets.

This is one of the first instances nationally of a school seeking damages from a player related to an NIL dispute.

Wilson, a junior pass-rusher at Missouri who finished his 2025 regular season with nine sacks, transferred to the Tigers in January mere weeks after allegedly signing a contract with Georgia’s Classic City Collective.

Most NIL contracts of the type Wilson is said to have signed contain language centered around requirements related to “buying out” the remainder of a deal (or a sum similar) in the event of a transfer.

Georgia is asking a judge to force Wilson into arbitration to settle just such a clause.

Of particular interest for observers is that the sum being sought by the university is substantially higher than the amount Wilson actually received in compensation, reportedly in the range of $30,000.

The liquidated damages clause in the deal is meant to substitute for a buyout clause that universities generally utilize for employees, in order to maintain that distinction that athletes aren’t employees.

Yet, the structure effectively acts as a penalty, many experts argue, and Georgia will ultimately have to demonstrate that the $390,000 sought is a reasonable assessment of the damages the school sustained due to Wilson’s transfer.

–Field Level Media

Vanderbilt flips 5-star QB Jared Curtis from Georgia

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Five-star quarterback Jared Curtis flipped his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt on Tuesday night, delivering a program-changing coup for the hometown Commodores less than a day before the early signing period opens.

Curtis, a senior at Nashville (Tenn.) Christian, ranks as the country’s No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class according to the 247Sports composite that takes into account several national services’ lists. He reportedly informed both staffs Tuesday evening and is expected to sign with Vanderbilt on Wednesday morning, becoming the highest-ranked recruit in school history.

“Being here in Nashville and seeing what Vandy has been doing this season has been amazing,” Curtis wrote in a statement on X. “Over the past few weeks, I felt more and more that I wanna be a part of that, to be close to home, to play in front of family and friends and to be what I love to be, an underdog.”

Reports indicated 14th-ranked Vanderbilt ramped up its pursuit in October, selling the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder on staying in Nashville and the chance to compete early as a potential successor to Heisman candidate Diego Pavia. Momentum accelerated after head coach Clark Lea agreed to a six-year extension on Nov. 28.

The decision ends a winding recruitment. Curtis pledged to Georgia in March 2024, reopened his process late last fall, re-committed to the Bulldogs on May 5 and then pivoted again this week. Earlier Tuesday, he denied reports that he was planning to change his commitment, but addressed that in his statement.

“This morning, I was really disappointed to see some media put it out there that I flipped from Georgia to Vandy. I actually hadn’t told anyone my final decision, not even my parents or agent,” Curtis wrote. “I wanted to talk to the coaches from both staffs after school and practice were over, and have one last heart-to-heart with my family before making an announcement. Never had a chance, and that was really disappointing.”

Curtis has starred as a four-year starter, throwing for 7,637 yards and 92 touchdowns through his first three seasons and leading Nashville Christian to a Division II-A state title as a junior.

The commitment gives Vanderbilt its first ESPN 300 signee since 2023 and resets the bar for the Commodores’ recruiting ceiling.

For No. 3 Georgia, the flip leaves the nation’s No. 2-ranked class without a 2026 quarterback. The Bulldogs still have depth with redshirt junior Gunner Stockton, redshirt freshman Ryan Puglisi and redshirting freshmen Ryan Montgomery and Hezekiah Millender, but may need to reassess their long-term plan under center.

–Field Level Media