Georgia confident Gunner Stockton can handle new-look wide receiver group

ATHENS — Georgia’s passing offense is going to look a lot different next season, even though the Bulldogs bring back starting quarterback Gunner Stockton.

Stockton threw for 2,894 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first full season as Georgia’s starting quarterback. But much of that production is gone, with the Bulldogs having to replace six of their top seven pass catchers from last season.

The toughest player to replace will be wide receiver Zachariah Branch. When Colbie Young went down with a leg injury against Ole Miss, Stockton leaned heavily on Branch. He caught a Georgia-record 81 passes, finishing the season with 811 yards and six touchdowns.

Branch was the only Georgia receiver with over 400 yards receiving last season. Sacovie White-Helton figures to take on Branch’s special-teams duties. White-Helton could get the first crack at working out of the slot as Branch did last season.

Another name to keep an eye on in terms of replacing Branch will be second-year player Talyn Taylor. He redshirted in his first season in Athens largely because of a collarbone injury he suffered.

Like Branch, Taylor was a five-star prospect as a recruit. Georgia hopes Taylor can bring many of the same elite traits to the table for the 2026 Georgia offense.

“He’s very coachable as well,” Branch said of Taylor. “Some dudes may try to get through one ear and out the other, but he really takes things in and tries to get better in every aspect. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s gonna be a really great player for us and to the future for sure.”

While Branch hauled in nearly 30% of Stockton’s passing yards, he’s not the only valuable piece who Georgia needs to replace.

The Bulldogs got a taste of what life without Young was like during the back half of the 2025 season. He returned in the College Football Playoff loss to Ole Miss, catching three passes for 22 yards.

Georgia dipped into the transfer portal again to find a big-bodied wide receiver, landing Georgia Tech’s Isiah Canion. He caught 33 passes for 480 yards and four touchdowns last season for the Yellow Jackets.

Georgia hopes Canion can build on those numbers, given the Bulldogs also must replace Noah Thomas and Dillon Bell.

Young likes the wide receiver talent Georgia brings back and is confident the group will help support Stockton next season.

“I just told them in the locker room, bro, you guys are gonna be great,” Young said after the loss to Ole Miss. “And the midyears that are coming in, and how we recruit every year, Georgia’s gonna be Georgia for a very long time. They’re always gonna be better.”

In addition to Canion, Georgia signed Craig Dandridge, Ryan Mosley and Dallas Dickerson as a part of the 2026 recruiting class. Dandridge arrives as a likely top-100 signee in the 2026 recruiting class.

The most experienced returning wide receiver is London Humphreys. He caught 18 passes for 278 yards this past season, with three catches going for touchdowns.

Included among the pass-catching departures are running back Cash Jones and tight end Oscar Delp. Jones was Georgia’s third-down running back, acting as the top pass catcher and pass blocker for the Bulldogs.

How Georgia divides up those reps between its running backs will be one of the more interesting offseason subplots.

At tight end, the Bulldogs still have plenty of options. Lawson Luckie, Elyiss Williams and Ethan Barbour all flashed for Georgia in 2025. But that trio caught only 22 passes last season.

If Georgia’s passing offense is to take a step forward, Stockton is going to have to do a better job of using his tight ends. Even with Oscar Delp, Georgia’s tight ends had only 43 receptions last season. That’s the fewest in a season since 2020, when Georgia played only 10 games.

Stockton will have a lot on his shoulders next season. That’s not dissimilar from the 2025 season, when he took over for Carson Beck.

Georgia is accustomed to questions among the skill players. The wide receivers answered them in 2025, after Georgia led all Power Four schools in dropped passes in the 2024 season.

The questions aren’t quite as pointed this offseason, especially because Stockton answered many doubts about himself in 2025.