Transfer Tuesday: Is Isiah Canion the Georgia Bulldogs' Next Big Threat on the Outside?
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and his coaching staff dipped into the transfer portal for a fourth consecutive offseason to add wide receiver talent to the Georgia Bulldogs. This time, the Dawgs signed Isiah Canion from in-state rival Georgia Tech.
In each offseason from 2023-2025, Georgia brought in two wide receivers through the portal. Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas in 2023, London Humphreys and Colbie Young in 2024 and Zachariah Branch and Noah Thomas in 2025 largely proved to be very important additions to the team in recent years. Georgia was not as aggressive in the first window of the 2026 cycle, but Canion looks to be a player that will head to Athens with the ability to get on the field immediately and be a key contributor to the Dawgs’ offense.
Listed at 6’4” and 215 pounds, Canion provides Georgia with another big body that can play the “X” wide receiver role on the outside of offensive formations. The two former transfer portal additions that provided that for Georgia the previous two seasons, Young and Thomas, are moving on to the next level. Without Canion in the picture, upcoming sophomore CJ Wiley looked to be Georgia’s best option for a tall receiver to line up close to the sidelines.
The fact of the matter is that Georgia needs pass catchers to step up in 2026. Six of Georgia’s top seven leading receivers in terms of catches and yards from this past season have all left due to graduation and declaring for the NFL draft. The only player in that top seven that remains: London Humphreys. As good as Humphreys was in some big moments last year, he only caught 18 passes for 276 yards and three scores. Georgia needs guys.
This is going to be one of the challenges that the program has to work out this offseason. Who will Gunner Stockton’s main targets be in his second year under center?
Zachariah Branch caught 81 passes last season. That is a UGA record for a single season. He accounted for about a third of Stockton’s production. When it wasn’t Branch, it was often Young that got the look from Stockton. In just eight games, Young grabbed 26 passes for 358 yards. He was second on the team in yards.
Heading into this season, there is no obvious choice for who will be the go-to target this season, or if there even is one. There is not a Branch or a Brock Bowers who jumps off the page. If that holds true when the actual season begins, then Georgia could be in for a season where the ball is truly spread around.
Either way, Canion looks to be a potentially important piece for this Georgia offense. He led the Yellow Jackets with four touchdown receptions in 2025. He was also third on the squad with 33 catches for 480 yards.
Canion had a handful of very productive receptions in 2025, with one of them coming against his new team in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
When you watch the tape, Canion proves to be more than just a “jump ball guy” that many big receivers get categorized as. He has shown run after the catch ability, along with the capability of making acrobatic catches in the end zone and hurdling defenders.
That is the type of playmaking that Young and Thomas brought in their brief stints at Georgia. It is the type of playmaking that Georgia will likely need this coming season.
Everything is a competition at Georgia. If you ask Smart, that competition never stops even when the season is underway. But a player with Canion’s ability and experience should step in and compete to be a starter. In terms of size, his primary competition is Wiley.
Along with Canion, Humphreys, Sacovie White-Helton, Talyn Taylor, Landon Roldan and Wiley project to be Georgia’s group of wide receivers that will contribute this season. The tight ends will provide versatile pass catching with plenty of size as well.
The receivers that Smart has brought in through the portal have typically been pretty productive and important for Georgia’s offense. At this point, that trend looks to be continued with Canion in the mix for Stockton to throw to this upcoming season.
