To say the least, it’s been an eventful 24 hours for the Georgia Bulldogs, who have signed three new players in that time span. Despite being a hub for elite high school recruiting, the coach Kirby Smart and his staff knows making key additions in the portal is paramount on the road to the national championship. What do these new signings mean for the Bulldogs during the upcoming season?

Josh Horton:

With the landing of Horton, the Bulldogs add a massive body up front that will be essential in run support. A 6-foot-4 and nearly 300-pound, the Miami-transfer could be an important piece to rebuilding the Bulldogs’ defensive front that is looking to replace the likes of Nazir Stackhouse, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Warren Brinson. Run support is definitely an area of emphasis for the Bulldogs, who gave up the sixth-most rushing yards in the SEC last season. Despite not playing many snaps last season, Georgia has become a place that has a knack for developing talent and turning undervalued players into NFL-ready prospects. With the Bulldogs’ history of rotating defensive linemen during games, Horton adds another massive frame that allows the Bulldogs to consistently be one of the best defensive units in the nation.

Josh McCray:

In 2024, only one team in the SEC ran the ball worse than Georgia in terms of yardage. As coach Smart knows from the devastating injuries to the running back room from last year, this is an area they can’t have “too much” depth. Losing their leading rusher in Travis Etinne to the draft as well as Branson Robinson to the portal less than a week ago, the addition of McCray was just what the Bulldogs needed. The Enterprise, AL native was the Fighting Illini’s leading rusher last season and punched in 11 total touchdowns on the year, which included a 114 rushing yards, two touchdown performance against the South Carolina Gamecocks in their bowl victory. With McCray in Athens for his final year of college football, the Bulldogs now have another explosive playmaker in the backfield to accompany Nate Frazier and company, also allowing the Bulldogs’ to bring back their three-headed dragon backfield attack they’ve been known for in years past.

Elo Modozie:

Amongst many other aspects, the Georgia Bulldogs in the Kirby Smart era are synonymous with producing elite pass rushers that wreak havoc whenever they line up. With losing Mykel Williams and Jalen Walker to the NFL draft, and Damon Wilson in the portal after transferring to Missouri, the Bulldogs have a lot of production and talent to replace when it comes to pressuring the quarterback. With the signing of Elo Modozie from the Army, the Bulldogs took a major step in replacing some of that noteworthy production. Last season, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound linebacker tallied 6.5 sacks and was consistently in the opposing team’s backfield. Adding Modozie into a group of rushers, including Gabe Harris and Chris Cole, will give the Bulldogs the exact push they need to remain a vaunted passing rushing unit and keep fresh, but productive bodies coming off the edge. At Georgia, if you can be successful in rushing the passer, the NFL is a place that can likely become your home. Modozie is no exception.

The Bulldogs will have these news face available for their 2025 season-opener against Marshall, where they will continue to defend their 30+ home winning streak.