Who Is On The Mt. Rushmore Of UGA Football?
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are on top of the college football world.
The big dogs are eating, and they’re going to stay hungry for the foreseeable future.
But who are the biggest, most important figures in Georgia football history? This is a blue-blood program that has won championships and Heisman trophies across multiple generations.
But if there was a Mount Rushmore of Georgia football, which four would make the cut?
Three spots on the mountain are fairly obvious.
Herschel Walker, Stetson Bennett, and Kirby Smart. Those might be the three most important Bulldogs in the program history.
Herschel Walker is arguably the greatest college football player of all-time. As a freshman, Walker led Georgia to the 1980 national championship. He should’ve won the Heisman Trophy that year, but instead he won it two years later in 1982. His 5,259 career rushing yards is the most in SEC history and 15th in NCAA history. He accomplished that feat in just three years. His 49 rushing touchdowns rank 2nd in SEC history behind Tim Tebow. Walker is 100% on the Georgia Bulldog Mt. Rushmore.
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Then there’s Stetson Bennett. The former walk-on who earned a scholarship, won the quarterback job, and led a starving Georgia program to two-consecutive national championships. He was also named Offensive MVP in each of his four CFP semi-final games. Bennett made some of the biggest throws in program history and beat the likes of Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, LSU, and many others during his final two seasons.
Stetson Bennett is without a doubt one of the four biggest names in Georgia football history.
Of course, Kirby Smart is on the mountain as well. An impact defender in the late 90s who made 16 career interceptions, Smart took over the “sleeping giant” of college football back in 2016 and coached the Bulldogs to back to back national championships. Smart currently holds a 81–15 record as the Georgia head coach, and many feel he will win more national titles before his career is over.
Now the No. 4 spot is up for debate.
Is it Frank Sinkwich? The man who led Georgia to the 1942 national championship along with winning the Heisman Trophy?
Or is it David Pollack? The greatest defensive player in program history.
This is a tough one. Personally, I’d give Sinkwich the nod. It’s only fair to have someone from that generation on Mount Rushmore. He won the biggest award in the sport and led Georgia to a national championship in ‘42. A two-time consensus All-American, Sinkwhich was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 and has his No. 21 jersey retired in Athens.
However, David Pollack also deserves to be recognized as one of the very best to play Between the Hedges. Pollack is a two-time SEC Player of the Year Award (2002, 2004), was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004, won the Chuck Bednarik Award in 2024, won the Ted Hendricks Award in 2003 and 2004, won the Lombardi Award in 2004, and the Lott Trophy in 2004. A 3-time First-Team All-American, Pollack made 36 sacks during his time in Athens, a Georgia Bulldogs career record.
Now some might say Vince Dooley should be the 4th guy on Georgia’s Mt. Rushmore. I wouldn’t put him ahead of Sinkwich or Pollack, but I understand why others would. The man led Georgia to a 201–77–10 record during his time in Athens, including six SEC championships and a national title in 1980. If he’s in your top four, I understand it.
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But let’s expand the mountain a little bit. Who is a top 10 all-time Bulldog? Who is a top-20?
Nick Chubb has to be up there. He’s likely a top-10 Bulldog in program history due to his 4,769 career rushing yards (2nd in UGA and SEC history) and 44 touchdowns (tied for 8th in SEC – 2nd at Georgia). His importance to the program is hard to put into words. From an overall talent and production standpoint, Chubb has to be mentioned with one of the greats.
But wait, let’s not forget the great Charley Trippi. The 1946 Maxwell Award winner, Trippi was easily one of the best college football players of his time. A 1st team All-American and two-time 1st-team All-Sec selection, Trippi’s No. 62 is retired for a reason. IF you mention some of the greats, Trippi has to be in the conversation.
What about Aaron Murray? That’s right. Aaron Murray. The Florida native was a four-year starter at Georgia and holds the SEC record for both career passing yards (13,166) and career touchdown passes (121). His name is in the history books, and he needs to be remembered as an all-time Bulldog. If he’s not in the top-10, he’s certainly in the top-20 in program history.
If we’re talking about pure talent, Todd Gurley is in the picture. Sorry Marcus Mariota, but Todd Gurley was the best college football player during the 2014 season. His performance against Clemson in 2014 may be the single best performance by a Bulldog in Sanford Stadium. At his peak, Todd Gurley was unstoppable. He’s 100% one of the very best players to ever wear a Bulldog uniform.
Where does Roquan Smith land on the list of all-time greats? What about Jarvis Jones? Jordan Davis? Nakobe Dean?
Each one of those defenders should be recognized in a big way.
Champ Bailey is an all-timer. Hard to leave him outside of the top-20.
Sony Michel might be a top-20 player in Bulldog history as well.
Then you have the old timers. Bill Stanfill, Theron Sapp (No. 40 retired), Bill Hartman (CFB Hall of Famer) and Fran Tarkenton.
You can’t forget about Scott Woerner or Terry Hoage, either. Two more all-time Georgia defenders.
What about Larry Munson? You can’t write a book about Georgia football without Larry Munson getting his own chapter. He may not have played or coached, but Larry Munson and Georgia football go hand in hand.
Does AJ Green make the top-30? What about Knowshon Moreno?
This time next year we might be talking about Brock Bowers in the top 10. Hell, he might be a top-5 Bulldog after next season.
Then you have guys like Garrison Hearst, both Jon and Matt Stinchcomb, Mike Bobo, Terrence Edwards, Robert Edwards, Frank Ros, Willie McClendon, David Greene, Boss Bailey, Greg Blue, Deandre Baker, Zamir White, Andrew Thomas, Christopher Smith, and MANY others. This list really does go on and on.
The debate is on.
Who would be on YOUR Mount Rushmore of Georgia Bulldog football?