Nitro Tuggle announces entry to transfer portal

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia has its first transfer portal entry on its official opening day, and third overall. Freshman wide receiver Nitro Tuggle tells On3’s Hayes Fawcett he plans to enter the portal after appearing in seven games this season with the Bulldogs. Tuggle joins redshirt sophomore cornerback Julian Humphrey and former USC transfer wide receiver Michael Jackson III in doing so.

A four-star prospect out of Indiana, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Tuggle enrolled at Georgia in the spring and played in seven games for the Bulldogs. He recorded three catches in total with two for 25 yards in UGA’s win over Tennessee, finishing as the third-highest graded offensive player in the big Bulldog victory.

Tuggle has played a part this season in Georgia’s receiver rotation, especially as of late. Rara Thomas’ preseason dismissal hurt the Dawgs’ depth at the big-bodied, X-receiver position. So too has Colbie Young’s ongoing legal issues. Both pass catchers were expected to be counted on, and their absence forced Dillon Bell out of position. When Bell got banged up, it was the 6-foot-1 Tuggle that got turned to.

“Nitro’s responded well. He’s worked hard. He had a good practice today,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said when asked about Tuggle and how he handled a taste of game action versus the Volunteers. “I think he gained some confidence from that because he went against a really good defense and he did some nice things. But, I mean, he goes against a good defense every day in practice, and there’s times that he’s been frustrated. I mean, he would tell you openly that he wants to play. He wants to help. All freshmen want to play.

“He’s a real good player. He really is a fun player to compete against. He probably has one of the best releases, so that also helps me because I know what to look for and try to stay patient,” Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette added about the freshman pass catcher. “Iron sharpening iron, he’s getting better, I’m getting better. It’s just fun to go against him. And I see him, he’s getting better, just like I said earlier. Everybody’s getting better.”

Tuggle was one of two freshmen receivers on the team in Athens this season alongside Sacovie White. Georgia signed five in the Class of 2025 including two top-100 prospects (five-star Talyn Taylor, four-star CJ Wiley), but the Bulldogs are expected to lose several this offseason as well.

Colbie Young and Dominic Lovett both have used their final year of eligibility in 2024. Rara Thomas and Michael Jackson III entered the campaign with one year remaining. Thomas was dismissed in the preseason while Jackson couldn’t quite crack the rotation, redshirted and has announced his intentions to transfer. Neither will be at Georgia next season, and Arian Smith, in a fifth year – albeit with another year of eligibility remaining should he choose to use it – and could go pro. That made receiver a priority position both in high school and portal recruiting before Tuggle’s decision and only magnifies the need after.

More on the transfer portal…

The NCAA student-athlete transfer portal launched in 2018. It marked a change from when student-athletes had to get a release from their school to transfer to another and they could be limited as to where they transferred. The portal allows student athletes to simply notify their current school and its compliance department that they intend to move on to another program.

Last season, Georgia lost 21 scholarship players to the portal, watching several end up at power conference programs around the country. The Bulldogs did add to their talent however, as they’ve done before. Adding to the likes of Lawrence Cager, Tre McKitty, Derion Kendrick, Tykee Smith, Dominic Lovett and others that have joined the program in the past, UGA brought in Trevor Etienne, Colbie Young, London Humphreys, Ben Yurosek, Xzavier McLeod and others that have had an impact on the Bulldogs’ 2024 campaign.