UGA Football Coach Kirby Smart Praises Freshman Receivers
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ATHENS - Heading into spring practice there was a lot of hype surrounding Georgia’s freshman receivers.
It was a star-studded group led by five-star Talyn Taylor, four-star CJ Wiley, and three other talented pass-catchers. Four of Georgia’s signees were able to join the team for spring practice, and after an obvious slow start, head coach Kirby Smart had a positive update after Georgia’s G-Day scrimmage.
“Yeah, they’re way, way, way, way, way further ahead”, Smart said about the freshman receivers. “I mean, they’ve come a long way. They were thrown into the fire. They’ve been demanded to get the call, line up. I mean, they’re ahead of where our typical freshmen are because they’ve gone with the twos. They’ve got a ways to go still. They had a little anxiety today. They had a couple plays I thought they should have made. But they’re a good group, and Tyler’s been hurt. We haven’t been able to see him much. But that young group has made some plays for us.”
Talyn Taylor, Georgia’s highest-ranked receiver signee, is coming off a tremendous senior season for Geneva Community (IL) where he lit up the stat sheet with 84 catches for 1,617 yards and 24 touchdowns. Taylor went over the 100-yard mark in nine of his 14 games last fall and scored at least one touchdown in 13 of those games. He brings a lean 6-foot-0 190-pound frame with excellent hands and the ability to create separation down the field. He ended the spring with three catches for 32 yards during Georgia’s G-Day scrimmage.
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Then there’s CJ Wiley. The big 6-foot-4 210-pound playmaker out of Milton (GA) left high school a two-time state-champion and is hoping to continue his winning ways in Athens. After a dominant senior season last fall where he caught 62 passes for 1,122 yards and 15 touchdowns, Wiley came to Athens hoping to make an early impact. During G-Day, Wiley made a one-handed grab down the sideline in tight coverage that lit a fire into the Sanford Stadium crowd. The talent and potential is easy to see and he’ll push for playing time sooner than later.
Then you have speedy four-star wideout, Landon Roldan. A local pass-catcher out of North Oconee who brings even more speed and explosiveness, Roldan is a vertical threat who might need to add some more muscle mass before he sees the field, but his quickness and breakaway speed has the staff excited about his future.
Three-star Tyler Williams was sidelined with an injury this spring but will provide more size and overall depth this fall. Four-star Thomas Blackshear from Savannah will join the team this summer, so he’s behind the others already on campus, but he’ll provide toughness and versatility when he joins the room.
Overall, it’s easy to see why the staff is so excited about this group. It won’t be easy to climb the depth chart, but it’s clear multiple early enrollees impressed and developed during spring practice. They’re coming along well and that’s big news for the 2025 Georgia Bulldogs.