Transitioning from rival Georgia Tech wasn’t difficult for new Georgia WR

ATHENS — Like so many students this time of year from the metro Atlanta area, Isiah Canion is doing his best to adjust to life in Athens.

Canion, though, isn’t a freshman coming from one of the Fulton, Cobb or Gwinnett County schools. The third-year wide receiver transferred in from Georgia Tech.

“The transition from moving out of the city,” Canion said on his biggest transition to Georgia. “That was a big thing. It took a while to get back used to it. Athens is a lot like my hometown. So it took a lot of, took a minute to get back acclimated to being outside the city, for sure.”

Georgia went into the transfer portal to add the wide receiver, giving the Bulldogs a big-bodied weapon on the outside. When the Bulldogs have gone looking for those types of players, they’ve usually been successful, whether it be Colbie Young recently or Lawrence Cager ahead of the 2019 season.

Georgia didn’t waste much time targeting Canion out of the transfer portal. The Bulldogs were familiar with him, as he played against Georgia the last two seasons.

When Canion went in the portal, he was receptive to what Georgia was pitching.

“Everybody from Georgia watches Georgia football,” Canion said. “So I grew up watching it. My family are Georgia fans. So yeah, for sure, I was excited when they hit me up.”

Canion didn’t want to say too much about his time at Georgia Tech, preferring not to make comparisons between the two rivals. He did note the similarities between his former quarterback, Haynes King, and his current one, Gunner Stockton.

Canion raved about Stockton’s toughness and leadership ability. Georgia hopes that Canion helps elevate Stockton’s game this coming season.

“He’s worked really hard,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Canion. “He’s relatively quiet, but he plays physical and he plays hard. He plays tough. He’s not afraid to go down and make hard blocks and dig people out. But he’s also got speed and athleticism to be a weapon on the perimeter. And he’s had a really good, quiet camp. And I’m very pleased with what he’s brought to our team, and great kid.”

It helps Canion that he’s deeply familiar with guys on the Georgia team. He played high school football with defensive back Rasean Dinkins and defensive end Isaiah Gibson at Warner Robins High School. Canion was also recruited by Georgia running backs coach Josh Crawford to play for Georgia Tech. Crawford was hired by Georgia after Canion signed as a member of the Yellow Jackets’ 2024 signing class.

Per CBS Sports, 59% of Georgia’s roster is made up of players from the state of Georgia. That is the highest percentage of in-state players of any team in the league. While Georgia is a talent-rich state, it’s not the only one in the SEC, with Texas and Florida producing significant blue-chip talent.

“I think he was comfortable in the room because of the players on the team,” Smart said. “And having guys he played high school with and played against all his life, just the general Georgia consensus of being a Georgia player, he’s been around it.”

Wide receiver is one of Georgia’s biggest questions entering this season. Like others in the room, Canion is doing his best to ignore the outside chatter and focus on getting better.

The Georgia wide receiver spoke specifically about drops being an issue for this group, as was the case in the team’s first scrimmage.

“Drops happen, they’re going to happen,” Canion said. “You just can’t dwell on them. You’ve got to move on, move to the next play. Worry about making the next play, you can’t focus on what’s in the past, just move forward, be where your feet are, and go from there.”

Canion is thrilled about the chance to suit up for the other Power 4 team in the Peach State this fall.

He hasn’t heard anything about coming over from Georgia’s in-state rival, noting his new teammates have made the transition as smooth as it could be entering the 2026 season.