The Georgia Bulldogs have consistently reloaded under head coach Kirby Smart, but the 2025 season presents unique challenges. With several key departures to the NFL, second-year players must rise to fill crucial roles.
1. Nate Frazier – Running Back
Nate Frazier is primed to become the centerpiece of Georgia’s offense in 2025. As a freshman, Frazier led the team in carries and rushing yards. However, the stakes are even higher this season. With Trevor Etienne’s departure and lingering injury concerns for Branson Robinson and Roderick Robinson, Frazier must transform from a promising young talent into a workhorse. His ability to carry the load will be critical to sustaining Georgia’s balanced offensive attack.
2. Joseph Jonah-Ajonye (JJA) – Defensive Lineman
Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, affectionately known as “JJA,” enters his second year with immense expectations. A freshman season plagued by injuries limited his impact, but Georgia’s defensive line now requires him to play a starring role. With Mykel Williams and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins off to the NFL, JJA is expected to anchor the Bulldogs’ front. Known for his elite athleticism and raw power, Jonah-Ajonye has the tools to excel. The challenge lies in his ability to stay healthy and develop quickly into a starter who can disrupt opposing offenses.
3. Daniel Calhoun – Right Guard
Georgia is replacing four of its five offensive linemen in 2025 from last season. Daniel Calhoun is the second-year Dawg who has most clearly put himself in a position to start for Georgia as spring practice approaches. Calhoun played tackle in high school but has now made the transition to guard. With his background at tackle, he has good feet for a man standing 6’6″ and north of 325 pounds. Calhoun will be in a battle with fellow rising sophomores Micahel Uini and Marques Easley, but look for the former four-star prospect to have a leg up on his competition. Georgia will need Calhoun and a host of other inexperienced linemen to grow up and be SEC-ready in a hurry for Georgia’s offense to improve upon last year.
4. Chris Cole – Linebacker
Chris Cole is another young Bulldog brimming with potential. The lanky linebacker flashed brilliance in limited opportunities during his freshman season, showing his versatility and athleticism. With Jalon Walker, the 2024 Butkus Award winner, headed to the NFL, Cole’s development becomes vital. The coaching staff will look for him to bulk up in the offseason and refine his instincts. Given his ability to play inside and outside linebacker, Cole can replicate Walker’s versatility and become a linchpin for Georgia’s defense. Don’t rule out the same type of impact from former 5-Star recruit Justin Williams either.
5. Nitro Tuggle – Wide Receiver (Z)
Nitro Tuggle worked his way into the receiver rotation at times during his freshman year in Athens. Still, he was used sparingly and surely not as much as he would have liked to have been in year one at Georgia. A former basketball player turned highly-recruited wide receiver, Tuggle is still learning the game but is someone that improved and developed as the season went on. Georgia needs him to step up and become a reliable target for whoever is the new quarterback next year.
BONUS: Ryan Puglisi – Quarterback
It’s no secret that Gunner Stockton will have the first crack at the QB1 reps in the spring for the Georgia Bulldogs. However, it would be foolish to discount the importance of Ryan Puglisi, regardless of who wins the starting job. Puglisi is as physically gifted of a quarterback as Georgia has had in a long time. There is no doubt he’ll push Stockton in fierce competition as we barrel toward the 2025 season.
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All of these players, plus the likes of defensive end Justin Greene, outside linebacker Quintavius Johnson, defensive tackle Nnamdi Ogboko, and cornerbacks Ellis Robinson and Demello Jones will be a major part of a youth movement for the Georgia Bulldogs in 2025. It will be the youngest team that Kirby Smart has had during his tenure, but also one of immense talent and potential.
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Photo: John Adams/Icon Sportswire
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