Georgia’s 2021 defense allowed 10.2 points a game, the fewest in the country, and sent a record 15 players into the NFL Draft the following spring. That is the standard Kirby Smart’s 2026 defense is chasing, and for the first time in years, Georgia actually has the roster to make the case.
But the last two Georgia defenses carried similar hype into January and lost in the same round, in the same building, in back-to-back seasons. Whatever this year’s unit becomes, it has real history to answer for first.
The Bar the 2021 Defense Left Behind
Numbers still do the talking for that team. Georgia’s 2021 defense finished first nationally in total defense at 268.5 yards allowed per game, first against the run at 78.9 yards a game and first against the pass at 189.7 yards a game, to go with 49 sacks and 16 interceptions. Jordan Davis won the Outland Trophy and the Bednarik Award that season, Nakobe Dean won the Butkus Award, and Travon Walker went No. 1 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
By the time the 2023 draft wrapped up, that single roster had produced 26 total NFL draft picks, 14 of them off the defense alone. Nobody in Athens has topped that group since, including the 2022 team that won a second straight national title.
| Player | Season | Signature Distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Davis | 2021 | Outland Trophy and Bednarik Award winner |
| Nakobe Dean | 2021 | Butkus Award winner, consensus All-American |
| Travon Walker | 2021 | No. 1 overall pick, 2022 NFL Draft |
| KJ Bolden | 2026 | Preseason first-team All-American safety (Athlon, Walter Camp) |
| Elijah Griffin | 2026 | Preseason All-America first team, 2025 FWAA Freshman All-America |
| Ellis Robinson IV | 2026 | 2025 FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year |
The gap is obvious just reading it. The 2021 group had a trophy case. The 2026 group has projections, preseason lists and one full season of proof. That is not nothing. It is also not the same thing yet.
Two Sugar Bowls, Two Second-Half Collapses
Georgia has won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship in each of the last two seasons. Both times, the season ended in the exact same round, at the exact same bowl, against a quarterback nobody game-planned for in August.
- January 10, 2022: Georgia’s defense closes out a 33-18 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship, capping the historic 2021 season and ending a 41-year title drought.
- January 2, 2025: Notre Dame stuns SEC champion Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal, getting a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown and a strip-sack off quarterback Gunner Stockton in the game’s decisive stretch.
- January 1, 2026: Ole Miss erases a 21-12 halftime deficit and beats Georgia 39-34 in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal, with Trinidad Chambliss throwing for 362 yards and Lucas Carneiro kicking the winning field goal with six seconds left.
The Notre Dame loss prompted plenty of second-guessing at the time, including a national writer’s list of offseason changes for Kirby Smart to consider after that game. A year later, the Ole Miss loss followed a nearly identical script. Georgia had actually locked things down for most of December, and the official CFP recap of the Sugar Bowl notes the Rebels still outgained the Bulldogs 473 yards to 343 once Chambliss got rolling in the second half.
Smart did not dress it up afterward. “I’m sick that we lost, and there’s things I would love to go back and do differently,” he said. “But I’m just so proud of the way our guys competed.”
Bolden, Griffin and Robinson Carry the Preseason Buzz
Safety KJ Bolden is the headliner. He posted 76 tackles, five pass breakups and two interceptions in 2025, earned Second Team All-American honors from The Athletic and USA Today, and was named a preseason first-team All-American heading into 2026.
Elijah Griffin, a former five-star recruit out of Savannah, played all 14 games as a true freshman in 2025, piling up 22 tackles, 13 quarterback pressures and 2.5 tackles for loss on his way to FWAA Freshman All-America recognition. Cornerback Ellis Robinson IV matched him step for step, tying for the SEC lead with four interceptions and winning FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year, the first Georgia player to claim that award.
Linebacker Raylen Wilson, entering his fourth season, finished third on the team in tackles a year ago and now inherits the vocal leadership role left open by the departed CJ Allen. Ellis Robinson IV is expected to pair with Demello Jones at cornerback, a duo Georgia fans already believe can hold its own against any receiver room in the league.
Even so, ESPN’s way-too-early 2026 All-American team told a quieter story: Bolden was Georgia’s only first-team pick, with Griffin, Wilson and Robinson IV all just “considered.” Georgia had three first-team picks on that same list in 2022 and 2023. One is still good. It is not three.
Smart Says the Defense Wasn’t Disruptive Enough
Kirby Smart did not wait for a reporter to bring up the pass rush this spring. Asked about the defense’s direction, he volunteered the problem himself.
We do have to be more explosive, and we do have to be more disruptive on defense. Those two things are going to always be there.
Smart told reporters at spring practice that last year’s group came up short on exactly that front, adding, “It’s much clearer that last year in terms we didn’t achieve those things.” The numbers back him up. Georgia managed just 20 sacks in 2025, a modest total for a program that recruits defensive linemen the way other schools recruit quarterbacks. Making it worse, Amaris Williams, the Auburn transfer brought in to boost the edge rush, is expected to miss the entire 2026 season with an injury.
Can Georgia’s Defensive Front Stay Healthy Enough?
Not entirely, and Georgia knows it. Jordan Hall spent all of spring practice rehabbing an injury from last season, Gabe Harris had turf toe surgery and also missed the spring, and Amaris Williams is already ruled out for the fall. The interior of this defense is deep on paper. It is not fully healthy in July.
- What we know: Jordan Hall did not participate in any spring practice while recovering from an in-season injury.
- What we know: Gabe Harris had offseason turf toe surgery after missing the Sugar Bowl and did not practice this spring, though Smart said this summer he expected Harris back at work.
- What we know: Amaris Williams, the Bulldogs’ top defensive transfer addition, is expected to be out for the 2026 season.
- What’s unconfirmed: Whether Hall and Harris will be at full speed by the September 5 opener.
- What’s unconfirmed: How much Georgia’s sack production actually improves without its most hyped transfer pass rusher available.
Gabe Harris’s absence already cost Georgia once. He sat out the Sugar Bowl with turf toe, and the Bulldogs’ defense was carved up late by Chambliss without him on the field. Getting him back healthy matters more than any single addition Georgia made this offseason.
New Faces Fill Out the Secondary
Georgia did not stand still in the transfer portal, even with most of its top defensive backs returning. The additions lean heavily toward depth and competition rather than headline names.
- Gentry Williams, cornerback, arrived from Oklahoma.
- Braylon Conley, cornerback, arrived from USC.
- Ja’Marley Riddle, safety, arrived from East Carolina.
- Khalil Barnes, safety, arrived from Clemson.
- Amaris Williams, outside linebacker, arrived from Auburn but is expected to be sidelined for the season.
None of those four healthy newcomers are walking into a starting job. That is the point. Georgia would rather manufacture competition at cornerback and safety than hand snaps to unproven players, the same approach that produced Bolden and Robinson IV in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Does Georgia’s 2026 Football Season Kick Off?
Georgia opens the season on September 5 against Tennessee State at Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET, and the game will stream exclusively on SEC Network+.
How Many Players From Georgia’s 2021 Title Defense Reached the NFL?
By the 2023 draft, the 2021 roster had produced 26 total NFL picks, 14 of them from the defense, a total that still stands as the high-water mark for any Kirby Smart roster.
Who Replaces CJ Allen as Georgia’s Defensive Leader?
Raylen Wilson, entering his fourth season in the program, is expected to take over the vocal leadership role after finishing third on the team in tackles a year ago.
Did Georgia’s Defense Actually Play Well in 2025?
For long stretches, yes. Georgia allowed just 29 points combined over its final four games before the Sugar Bowl and held Alabama to 209 total yards in the SEC Championship Game before Ole Miss broke through in the second half of the CFP quarterfinal.
Georgia opens the 2026 season at home against Tennessee State on September 5. It is the first of what Smart hopes becomes a longer answer than the one New Orleans has handed his team twice now.
