The Georgia Bulldogs are one of the most competitive and successful teams in college football this season, yet Kirby Smart's team is also about as thin on the roster and shaky as we have ever seen them over recent years.
Like many teams across the nation, as the NIL era continues to take shape, the Bulldogs should be expected to hit the transfer portal with gusto. Head coach Kirby Smart has not minced words about where Georgia needs to improve and that the transfer portal is something that should be utilized with purpose here.
“All of them (positions). There is not a position that we don't have enough depth at,” he said earlier in the season at a press conference. “I mean, like I repeatedly say, we have less depth than we've ever had before. So we evaluate the transfer portal on who fits our culture more than we do who fits our talent level.”
Here's a look at three players the Bulldogs could target in the portal, with the chance to land them sooner rather than later.
Georgia Bulldogs could land Kentucky WR Dane Key
One of the biggest positions of need for Georgia in the transfer portal is at wide receiver. Not only is the team set to lose a number of pass-catchers to either graduation or the 2025 NFL Draft, but they are also simply inadequate when it comes to depth and reliability there. Georgia has had one of the worst drop rates in college football to a point that it has affected the point that it has unfairly impacted the public perception of quarterback Carson Beck, and perhaps even his draft stock.
Wildcats wideout Dane Key is one of the players who could potentially serve as a solution here. He's largely ranked as one of the top-1o players in the portal and despite the fact he has taken visits to other prestigious programs like Ole Miss, Georgia still appears to be the frontrunner to land key.
He showed a lot of potential within the Kentucky offense, which coincidentally had a lot of the same issues with consistency and staying in a rhythm on that side of the ball as the Bulldogs had in the regular season. The good thing that should pique Georgia's interest here is that Key did provide a sense of stability, leading Kentucky's wide receivers and perhaps the majority of the offensive players in general, by a country mile. He finished out the season with a team-high 47 receptions for 715 yards and two touchdowns.
He'll be a big get for Georgia if he chooses to pass on Lane Kiffin's team, which seems to be the popular expectation right now.
Idaho WR Jordan Dwyer is another player to keep an eye on
Dane Key is far from the only wide receiver Georgia has had its eye on, with the position really standing out as a need among all other positions. It has been a very long time since we have witnessed this poor of a receiving corps as a whole out of Athens, and it seems like Kirby Smart is well aware of that with a plan to rebuild it to its former strength.
Dwyer could be just the player the team needs to accomplish that goal. Coming to Georgia would also provide an opportunity for him to place himself even more on the radar by playing in the Southeastern Conference with a team that obviously has a far larger name than Idaho has.
He has already shown just how much of an impact-maker he can be, recording 78 receptions for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Georgia will face a lot of competition to land him, as Dwyer has already been connected to a large number of programs.
Washington State DB Ethan O'Connor is a name to have on the radar
Playing aggressive defense consistently has also been a faulty area for the Georgia Bulldogs throughout the 2024 season. Kirby Smart has lamented Georgia's tackling woes on several occasions during his press conferences, indicating that tackling is not just an issue at Georgia, but across the entire football landscape.
One player that could help bolster the Georgia defense in Washington State defensive back Ethan O'Connor. He has shown interest in the Bulldogs and has been publicly connected to the team, joining a list of players who have taken visits to Athens as of late.
One of the biggest teams of competition Georgia will face in landing him, though, is the Miami Hurricanes. O'Connor recently went on and on about how much Miami appealed to him in an interview with CaneSport.
“I had great talks with all of (the coaches),” O’Connor said. “Coach Cristobal is a great dude. He said he really wants me there, says I’m kind of like the missing piece right now. They need a corner they can play on an island that they don’t have to worry about teams throwing bombs over. Coach Guidry – they want to put me on an island, they want me because they can trust me on an island. That’s what I’m used to, what I did at Wazzu. That’s it right there. And Coach Jackson was teaching me some good stuff while I was there, gave great advice.”
He will have three years of eligibility left to help whichever team he ultimately lands with after finishing out the 2024 season with 32 combined tackles (23 solo) and four interceptions as a true ballhawk.