Georgia football knows who it has to replace following NFL draft deadline

ATHENS — The NFL draft deadline for Georgia players has passed.

For underclassmen from Indiana and Miami, the teams playing Monday in the national championship game, the deadline is Jan. 23 to declare for the draft. For everyone else, the deadline was Wednesday. That’s when you saw Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announce his return to school for another season.

Georgia didn’t get that level of good news when it comes to returnees on its roster, though its quarterback did not declare for the draft. Gunner Stockton, like Moore, was draft eligible. Yet Stockton didn’t take to ESPN’s “SportsCenter” to announce his future plans. The normally reserved Georgia quarterback didn’t even post on Instagram what he would be doing.

On Jan. 24, the NFL will release its full list of underclassmen who declared for the draft. For now, we know of only four Georgia players who gave up eligibility to enter the draft. With no formal announcements from Earnest Greene, Lawson Luckie, Jordan Hall and Stockton, we’ll have to wait to know with certainty who has left the Georgia football program.

On the offense, Zachariah Branch and Monroe Freeling declared for the draft. Both had strong seasons for the Bulldogs in 2025. Branch set the school’s single-season record for receptions, catching 81 passes for 811 yards and six touchdowns.

Freeling earned second-team All-SEC honors at left tackle, stabilizing a group that battled injury all season and had to replace four starters from the 2024 season.

Georgia will look internally to replace Branch and Freeling. At wide receiver, look for Sacovie White-Helton and Talyn Taylor to take on bigger roles at slot receiver with Branch departing. White-Helton also is likely to step in as Georgia’s punt returner, a role held by Branch.

“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.”

As for left tackle, Greene seems like an obvious candidate if he does indeed return to Georgia for 2026. He started at the position in 2023 and 2024, before moving to right tackle in 2025. Georgia also could move Juan Gaston to left tackle, as he started at right guard and right tackle in 2025. Georgia likes Gaston’s potential a good bit.

One name to file away as a possible contributor at left tackle next season would be Ekene Ogboko. Freeling’s departure frees a spot for the 5-star recruit to come in as a rotational piece early in 2026.

Should Stockton, Lawson and Greene return next season — and all are expected to at this point — many of Georgia’s bigger questions get answered. Stockton has to get more consistent, but you could do worse at quarterback than someone who finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.

Luckie and Greene have significant big-game experience and will be among the important leaders for Georgia again in 2026.

On the defense, Georgia saw two key front-seven defenders move on. Christen Miller was the first Georgia player to declare for this year’s draft, while linebacker CJ Allen did so, too.

Allen was a first-team All-American in 2025, in addition to being a Butkus Award finalist. He is seen as Georgia’s safest bet to be a first-round pick this year.

As for Miller, he bypassed the NFL draft a year ago and emerged as an important veteran on the defensive line.

While Georgia lost players to the NFL on the defensive line and at inside linebacker, it also retained key veterans. Defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod announced he would stay at UGA, as did linebacker Raylen Wilson.

McLeod gives Georgia another capable body on the interior of the defensive line. Should Hall return — he missed the final six games of the season because of a knee injury — Georgia would have more veteran bodies on its defensive line than it did last season, when Miller was Georgia’s lone fourth-year college player.

Throw in rising sophomore Elijah Griffin and you have a very strong interior defensive line to pair with defensive ends Gabe Harris, Joseph Jonah-Ajonye and Amaris Williams.

At inside linebacker, Wilson brings back multiple years of starting experience. While he often teamed with Allen, the 2026 season will offer a new challenge for Wilson as he steps out of Allen’s shadow.

Georgia is still loaded at inside linebacker beyond Allen and Wilson. Chris Cole and Justin Williams both return for their third seasons in the program, while Georgia will look for more creative ways to get Zayden Walker on the field in 2026.

The Bulldogs did get good news on the special teams front as well, with kicker Peyton Woodring announcing his return to Georgia for his senior season. Woodring converted 17 of his 19 field-goal attempts this season, with both misses coming from over 50 yards.