Transfer Tracker: Georgia Football's portal HQ

The NCAA’s student-athlete transfer portal window for football is now open. Prospects from all over the country can notify their current schools that they are ready for a change of scenery, enter the portal, and get recruited by other programs. Georgia will have some players enter and they’ll be in the market to add several of their own.

DawgsHQ will have you covered for the next few weeks or more. The window closes on December 28 but it will remain open for the teams and players still active in the College Football Playoff until five days after their seasons conclude. We’re tracking the players leaving, potential targets, and offers while also providing scoop, buzz, and analysis. We’ll also be participating in the discussion on The Dawg Walk. Click the link below to see ALL of it.

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Georgia who’ve entered or announced

DB Collin Gill (January 7) – STORY
EDGE Damon Wilson (January 6) – STORY
QB Jaden Rashada (January 5) – STORY
WR Anthony Evans (January 5) – STORY
S Jake Pope (December 14) – STORY – UNLV
LB Troy Bowles (December 13) – STORY – Michigan
EDGE Sam M’Pemba (December 13) – STORY – Texas A&M
S Justyn Rhett (December 13) – STORY – Nebraska
DL Jamaal Jarrett (December 10) – STORY – USC
WR Michael Jackson III (December 7) – STORY
CB Julian Humphrey (December 1) – STORY – Texas A&M

Georgia additions from the transfer portal…

RB Micah Bell (Vanderbilt): After one season at Notre Dame and another at Vanderbilt, Dillon Bell’s younger brother is a Bulldog. He was a four-star prospect in the 2023 class and has stated that he would be open to playing either side of the ball.

WR Noah Thomas (Texas A&M): After entering the portal on New Year’s Day, Thomas has decided to continue his football career at Georgia. The Texas native will be reunited with James Coley.

S Adrian Maddox (UAB): After originally committing to Florida, Maddox flipped to Georgia on Tuesday. He’s the third defensive back addition for the Bulldogs and played his high school ball at Heritage High School in Conyers, Ga.

S Jaden Harris (Miami): The Atlanta native started 15 games over the past two years at Miami, including all 13 games this season. He has two years to play two.

WR Zachariah Branch (USC): The former top-100 overall prospect (2022 class) committed to Georgia on January 5. – SIGNED per Pete Nakos.

S Zion Branch (USC): The former five-star prospect committed to Georgia on January 5. – SIGNED per Pete Nakos

News and Notes…

*** Georgia landed three commitments on Tuesday. Harris, Maddox, and Thomas all joined the fold, giving the Bulldogs five transfer portal additions thus far. They are expected to continue working on EDGE/OLB after the loss of Damon Wilson.

*** UGA experienced its first gut punch of portal season on Monday when Damon Wilson announced intentions to enter the portal. He’s not officially in the portal yet but as of right now the expectation is that he will indeed move on from UGA.

*** Georgia landed commitments from the Branch Brothers, Zion and Zachariah, on Sunday. As of Monday morning, both have signed with the Bulldogs according to Pete Nakos. UGA beat out Arizona State and Miami for the Branch Brothers and held off late pushes from Tennessee and Texas.

*** Georgia has had two players enter the transfer portal on Tuesday, January 5. Anthony Evans and Jaden Rashada are the latest Bulldogs to enter.

*** Georgia is expected to hose Miami safety Jaden Harris this week according to Mansell. Harris played high school ball at Riverwood High School in Atlanta.

*** Per Blue and White Illustrated, our On3 site for Penn State, Georgia will host Texas A&M offensive lineman TJ Shanahan for a visit. Shanahan is originally from Westlake High School in Orlando, Fla.

*** DawgsHQ has added Texas A&M wide receiver Noah Thomas to the list. Thomas had over 500 yards receiving in 2024, the best season of his career. The 6-foot-6 wideout has ties to James Coley.

*** After a bit of a lull during the dead period, visits are ramping back up. Georgia is expected to host Wisconsin running back Tawee Walker for a visit according to Pete Nakos. DawgsHQ has confirmed that visit.

*** Tuesday the 24th saw a pair of Georgia prospects commit elsewhere. Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who visited Athens just last week, is headed to Indiana while Kentucky wide receiver Dane Key, thought to be one of the top targets for UGA in this portal cycle, will follow his former position coach to Nebraska.

*** Former Georgia linebacker Sam M’Pemba announced a commitment to Texas A&M on Monday. There he’ll join Julian Humphrey in making the move from Athens.

*** The dead period begins on Monday, December 23. Players in the portal can still be recruited and commit to the school of their choice but visits are not permitted until January 1.

*** Charlotte quarterback Deshawn Purdie is off the board. Purdie has committed to Florida where he will presumably serve as the backup to DJ Lagway.

*** Three former Georgia defenders announced their destinations out of the transfer portal on Saturday: Jamaal Jarrett (USC), Troy Bowles (Michigan) and Justyn Rhett (Nebraska)

*** Miami wideout Isaiah Horton commits to Alabama on December 21. Georgia in line for a visit according to multiple reports but that never took place.

*** LSU wideout CJ Daniels has landed at Miami. Georgia had talks with Daniels and he was scheduled to be in Athens on Monday but did not make the trip.

*** Former Alabama quarterback Dylan Lonergan has committed to Boston College after an official visit to Georgia on Monday. There Lonergan will reunite with head coach Bill O’Brien, who recruited him to Tuscaloosa before taking an NFL OC job ahead of Lonergan’s true freshman season.

*** UGA safety target Zechariah Poyser has committed to Miami. Georgia had the former Jacksonville Satate safety on campus over the weekend but the Florida native will continue his career in his home state.

*** Dismissed Georgia wideout Rara Thomas has entered the transfer portal. He also pled not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and a felony count of harming a child on Monday.

*** Former Georgia defensive back Julian Humphrey announced his new home on Sunday morning as he’ll head back to his home state of Texas to play for the Texas A&M Aggies.

*** Another Georgia defender is looking for a new home. Pope announced intentions to enter the portal Saturday night after just one season in Athens, transferring in from Alabama less than a year ago.

*** A couple of notes on Georgia targets: cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson (Florida) is off to LSU while wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech) has left Georgia off of is top-5.

*** Portal target Brice Pollock has quickly chosen his transfer destination. The Peach State native is moving from Mississippi State to Texas Tech.

*** Two more Georgia players entered the portal on Friday. Bowles and M’Pemba jumped in a little later than Rhett, giving the Bullodgs three for the day.

*** After some thought that Jarrett might stick around and end up reversing course like Tuggle did, his name was officially in the transfer portal Thursday night. Less than a day later, he’s joined by Rhett, who announced plans to enter midday Friday.

*** Jarrett becomes the fourth Georgia player to announce plans to enter the portal and he does so just minutes after Tuggle made it known that he plans to stay.

*** Nitro Tuggle announced plans to enter the portal on Monday but never officially entered. He announced via social media on Tuesday that he wouldn’t be leaving.

*** Dismissed Georgia defensive back David Daniel-Sisavanh has entered his name to the portal. He was not with the Bulldogs this season but has a year of eligibility remaining.

*** Shortly after Georgia’s win over Texas in the SEC Championship game, Jackson entered the portal. He has one year to play one and joins Humphrey, who entered after the end of the regular season.

Known Georgia targets/visitors/contacts…

EDGE Mi’Quise Grace (South Dakota): With Damon Wilson transferring, Georgia is in the market for an outside linebacker. Grace is taking an official visit after seeing Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech in person. It seems that the Bulldogs might want to take more than one EDGE in the next few days if possible.

OL TJ Shanahan (Texas A&M): Per our Penn State site, Blue and White Illustrated, Shanahan will take a visit to Georgia. This is the only known offensive line target or contact we have at this point.

UGA portal scoop

*** (12/23/2024) – Georgia has hosted a few quarterback prospects from the transfer portal in this cycle. Rusty Mansell shares on an experienced option who visited Athens over the weekend with a decision supposedly looming.

*** (12/22/2024) – It seems as if Georgia’s portal focus is currently on three players — Key, and the Branch brothers. DawgsHQ has the latest on where things stand.

*** (12/20/2024) – DawgsHQ has confirmed a pair of elite portal prospects are in town to check out the Bulldogs on Friday.

***(12/19/2024) – We’ll soon be adding some names to the board as Mansell is reporting that a pair of safeties are on the Bulldogs’ board. One of those guys is currently at Georgia for an official visit.

***(12/18/2024) – Key’s Georgia visit has wrapped up and Mansell provides the latest buzz on that plus the Bulldogs pursuit of the Branch brothers and more portal visitors.

***(12/17/2024) – The Branch brothers are entering the transfer portal and Mansell has some scoop on the Bulldogs connections and potential interest.

*** (12/15/2024) – Per Mansell, Georgia is about to have a busy week. He has confirmed a few visitors for the next few days as the Bulldogs get into daily preparations for the Sugar Bowl.

*** (12/15/2024) – There’s a new name to keep an eye on at wideout. DawgsHQ has confirmed that Georgia is in contact with a top portal pass catcher who has spent the past two seasons on the West Coast.

*** (12/14/2024) – DawgsHQ shares the latest on the activity of Georgia in the portal with a few names in town as Rusty Mansell confirms official visits are taking place.

***(12/13/2024) – Most of the talk has centered around wideouts but Georgia is also hosting players at other positions this weekend. The list includes a quarterback and a pair of defenders.

*** (12/12/2024) – Portal activity is about to ramp up for Georgia, especially at receiver. Mansell reports that multiple pass-catching targets will be in town next week.

*** (12/11/2024) – On3’s Pete Nakos has logged and expert prediction for Georgia to land a plug-and play wideout in the transfer portal.

*** (12/11/2024) – Will Georgia take a quarterback in the transfer portal? Mansell takes a look at a couple of guys who entered on Wednesday and thinks that the Bulldogs could take a look at both.

*** (12/11/2024) – Georgia is expected to play host to another transfer wideout next week according to On3’s Pete Nakos. It’s another player from the SEC ranks.

*** (12/10/2024) – We’ve reached the end of day two and DawgsHQ has a short list of names, mostly day-two entries, that Georgia fans should know.

*** (12/10/2024) – Another wideout is expected to visit Georgia soon and this time it’s one from the SEC level. The Bulldogs are in contact with several receivers already.

*** (12/9/2024) – DawgsHQ’s Rusty Mansell says that Georgia is definitely interested in a fast wideout who entered the portal on Monday.

*** (12/9/2024) – According DawgsHQ’s Jeremy Johnson, the Bulldogs wasted zero time getting in touch with a defensive back at an SEC program. He hails from the Peach State.

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.