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Talyn Taylor, Justin Williams among those primed to take over for 2026 NFL Draft departures

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Talyn Taylor, Justin Williams among those primed to take over for 2026 NFL Draft departures


ATHENS — The deadline to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft has passed for Georgia, with four Bulldogs electing to forgo their final season of eligibility to head to the NFL.

Zachariah Branch, Monroe Freeling, Christen Miller and CJ Allen join the host of seniors such as Oscar Delp, Daylen Everette and Micah Morris moving on to the NFL after finishing off their college careers.

Georgia will have to replace all of those meaningful contributors. But with such a talented and deep roster, the Bulldogs will have plenty of options to replace those moving on.

Below is a way-too-early guess at who might replace all the pieces Georgia is losing from its 2025 roster.

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Cash Jones: Nate Frazier

Jones filled an extremely important role as Georgia’s third-down running back. The Bulldogs could use his departure as a way to get Frazier more touches, provided he improves as a pass blocker.

Josh McCray: Dante Dowdell

Georgia replaces one bruising running back it acquired from the transfer portal with another, as the Bulldogs pulled Dowdell in from Kentucky. Dowdell scored 15 touchdowns in the past two seasons.

Zachariah Branch: Talyn Taylor

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Sacovie White-Helton bears mentioning here, especially as he is likely to take on Branch’s punt-returning duties. But Georgia made it a point to get Taylor involved in the passing game when he was healthy this year. We expect that to happen in a much more meaningful way in 2026.

Colibe Young: Isiah Canion

Georgia went into the transfer portal to land Canion from Georgia Tech. Georgia did not have a player on the roster who best resembled Young from a physical standpoint.

Dillon Bell: Landon Roldan

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Bell emerged as a gadget player for the Bulldogs, wearing a variety of hats for Georgia. We’ve already seen the coaching staff try and use Roldan in a similar way, such as the fake punt he ran against Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff.

Noah Thomas: CJ Wiley

Wiley could’ve been an answer as Georgia’s replacement for Young, especially given his experience in the Georgia system. It’s not implausible to see Wiley having a bigger season than Thomas did in 2025, which would be significant for Georgia’s 2026 offense.

Oscar Delp: Elyiss Williams

Lawson Luckie isn’t going anywhere, as he’s likely to be a top tight end option for Georgia next season. But Delp moving on creates an even bigger role for Williams. It will be interesting to see how the Bulldogs use him as a weapon in the offense, given his impressive size.

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Monroe Freeling: Juan Gaston

Earnest Greene could very take over as the team’s starting left tackle, but Gaston now has a chance to step into a starting role. His upside is as immense as his physical frame. The big question will be how far Gaston goes in changing his body, as Georgia will want him to be in even better shape this coming year.

Micah Morris: Michael Uini

Georgia will have to replace its starting left guard. The Bulldogs could move Dontrell Glover from right guard, but don’t be surprised if one of Uini or Daniel Calhoun steps in for Morris. The battle between Uini and Calhoun will be one of the more contested position battles in 2026.

Christen Miller: Elijah Griffin

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Jordan Hall will play a good amount on the interior, as will Xzavier McLeod. But if next year’s Georgia team is going to reach its ceiling, it needs Griffin to take a sizable step forward. Griffin impressed as a freshman, especially with what he was asked to do on the offensive line.

CJ Allen: Justin Williams

Raylen Wilson and Chris Cole played a ton this past season and it wouldn’t be a shock for them to have similar roles in 2026. Williams stands to really benefit from Allen’s departure. The Georgia coaching staff also loves what Williams brings to the table from a leadership standpoint.

Daylen Everette: Ellis Robinson

Robinson finished the season as a starter and you could make the case that Demello Jones should be the answer. But Everette never came off the field for Georgia this past season. That should be the case for Robinson, who could be the best cornerback in the country in 2026.

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Jacorey Thomas: Zion Branch

How Kyron Jones recovers from his foot injury has this selection up in the air. You could also see ECU transfer Ja’Marley Riddle slide in for the veteran safety, but we think with a second season in Georgia’s system, Branch takes a step forward as a starting safety.

Brett Thorson: Drew Miller

This is an easy one, with Miller having already filled in for Thorson as he recovered from his ACL injury. Georgia did sign Wade Register as a part of the 2026 recruiting cycle, but Miller has real college experience that shouldn’t be overlooked.

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Man accused of raping University of Georgia student, police say

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Man accused of raping University of Georgia student, police say


A 19-year-old is facing assault-related charges after police said he raped a University of Georgia student early Saturday morning while she was walking home. 

What we know:

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Tydarius Wingfield of Athens allegedly approached the student in the area of 400 North Thomas Street just before 1:40 a.m. and asked to walk her home.

Wingfield and the victim did not know each other.

Wingfield then forced the woman behind a building where he sexually assaulted her, police said.

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Investigators used the Real Time Crime Center’s camera system to see where the assault happened and track the victim and Wingfield’s movements. Officers continued tracking Wingfield until his arrest and positively identified him using the RTCC technology.

He is charged with rape, kidnapping, aggravated sexual battery and battery.

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An investigation is ongoing. 

What we don’t know:

It is unclear whether the victim was taken to the hospital after being attacked. 

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What you can do:

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective Burgamy at Charles.Burgamy@accgov.com or 762-400-7173.

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The Source: Information in this report comes from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. 

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Georgia’s Iranian community reacts to death of Ayatollah Khamenei

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Georgia’s Iranian community reacts to death of Ayatollah Khamenei


As conflict intensifies between the United States, Israel and Iran, reactions are pouring in across the Atlanta metro area after President Donald Trump confirmed the death of Iran’s supreme leader.

The president confirmed on Truth Social that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint strike led by the U.S. and Israel. 

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What they’re saying:

“I have been waiting to hear this news for the last 20 years,” said Dr. Sasan Tavassoli, an Atlanta-based pastor born in Iran.

“Ayatollah Khamenei has been responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of Iranians over the last three decades. He has been a very evil dictator and a very oppressive tyrant.”

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Other local Iranians, like Shohreh Mir, expressed a long-standing desire for internal change rather than outside intervention.

“This was an imposed war,” Mir said. “We still very much would like for Iranian people to change the regime by themselves.”

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What’s next:

Tavassoli said the Ayatollah’s death now creates a new issue.

“Ayatollah Khamenei never invested in raising a succession after himself,” he said, “so the crisis of the Iranian revolution and the Iranian regime is there is no legitimate successor.”

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While the long-term duration of the conflict remains unknown, Iran has already begun launching retaliatory strikes following the attack.

“This is a huge development for day one, but the war is not over,” Tavassoli noted. “There are still many ways that things can become even more bloody and destructive in the coming days and weeks.”

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The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 5’s Rey Llerena speaking with Iranian Americans across Georgia. 

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Body found near Georgia Power dam on Radium Springs Road in Albany

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Body found near Georgia Power dam on Radium Springs Road in Albany


ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – A person was found dead in the 5200 block of Radium Springs Road on Saturday morning, according to Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler.

Body recovered in early morning water rescue call(WALB NEWS 10)

Fowler said the call came in as a water rescue. The body was recovered early Saturday, Feb. 28.

The coroner confirmed the person found was male. His identity and age remain unknown.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

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