ESPN identifies three key ways Georgia can become national title contender this season

Expectations at Georgia are pretty simple. Kirby Smart, the players, coaches, and fans all want to be the final team standing. National championships are what the Bulldogs are striving for, even after coming up short in recent seasons. The main goal of 2026 is to get back on the main stage. Now, exactly what needs to happen for that plan to unfold? ESPN gave us an idea, providing three key ways Georgia can get back to contender status. [ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] Two of them come from the offensive side, before wrapping up with a defensive idea. Let’s check them out here. “If … someone, anyone, makes big plays” “The Bulldogs need a few more chunk plays and easy points to move back from being a top-five or top-six program to being top one,” ESPN said. To say they were not impressed with Georgia’s explosive plays last season would be an understatement. Data even shows they made fewer big plays than any team in the College Football Playoff. So, somebody is going to need to step up to get to the place everyone in Athens wants to be — the national championship. And this comes at a time when skill position is still a question mark for Georgia. “If … young receivers are good receivers” Wide receiver became a point of discussion on Tuesday during Smart’s SEC Media Days availability. Smart wants to people to keep doubting the group, adding to the motivation. Well, here is another example of that. ESPN provided some names of specific players who need to help out quarterback Gunner Stockton. “Talyn Taylor or CJ Wiley, tight ends such as Elyiss Williams, Jaden Reddell or freshman Kaiden Prothro — need to shine.” Names to watch when coming up against big-time defenses. “If … at least one DB transfer is a star” Not many will tell you they are ever concerned about defensive back at Georgia. Smart had his coaching upbringing at the position, producing plenty of talent. And Georgia does have a pair of guys — Ellis Robinson and KJ Bolden — who are going to shine in 2026. ESPN is just looking for another contributor, maybe on the other side of the field. Four different DBs came to Athens via the NCAA transfer portal. Two of them are cornerbacks, and the other two are at the safety position. If one of them is able to produce Georgia-level results, the defensive back room’s outlook completely changes.