Several Leaders Are Emerging in UGA Football's Receiver Room

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ATHENS - When the Georgia Bulldogs take the field against Marshall in two weeks we’ll finally get a real look at their new and improved wide receiver room.

The hype for Noah Thomas and Zachariah Branch continues to grow by the day. Returning starter Dillon Bell is back for a turnaround season. Several veterans are back along with a talented bunch of freshmen.

There’s talent up and down Georgia’s depth chart but head coach Kirby Smart doesn’t care to talk about that. He wants to talk about their leadership.

“London [Humphreys] is one of our leaders”, Smart said to reporters this week. “He sets the tone each and every day. Branch [Zachariah] does a great job. He's a passionate guy; he gives you great energy every day. He goes out and works hard. Dillon [Bell], he’s been around here longer than anybody in terms of work ethic and doing things the right way. You can't really look at that group and say, ‘there's just one leader’, they lead by committee. There’s a lot of them in there that work hard and do what they're asked. Even the young guys, they got great examples to follow in those older guys. So, in the scrimmage, some good, some bad, right? We had a couple of explosive plays, a couple of plays I thought the receivers should have made, but I was very pleased with their effort.”

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According to FanDuel, the Georgia Bulldogs are 39.5-point favorites over Marshall in week one of the college football season.

There’s been lots of buzz around that group and Smart’s comments aren’t slowing it down. There’s talent, experience, confidence, speed, size, and lots of potential. They have what it takes to help elevate Georgia’s passing attack. It will be a group effort, but the players are there to make it happen.

Now the big question.

Which one is the alpha? Who is the No. 1? Who gets the ball with the game on the line?

A lot depends on the situation. The defense’s look could determine which wideout gets the football. The down and distance could play a factor, too. 

Zachariah Branch could easily lead this team in receptions. He’s a downfield threat, but he’s also a weapon in the screen and short passing game due to his elite speed and explosiveness. He’ll likely get plenty of opportunities to make plays all season long.

Noah Thomas and Colbie Young bring plenty of size and experience. They can stretch the field and give the Bulldog quarterbacks a big body to throw to in the red-zone.

Dillon Bell is the longest-tenured Bulldog wideout. He’ll obviously be involved. London Humphreys has become one of the biggest leaders in that room. He’s likely to see more targets than he did last year.

You can see the talent and the depth from miles away. This group has it. They’ll have to make the most of their opportunities because the ball has to be distributed efficiently. This is a group effort, and one that could make or break Georgia’s offense in 2025.