After last weekend, there are currently 62 Bulldogs active in the NFL (excludes unrestricted free agents)—or more than enough players to fulfill an entire league roster.
Georgia
UGASports – The NFL's Georgia-Only Team
UGASports decided to play general manager of a hypothetical NFL team made up entirely of former Georgia players currently active in the league. In anticipation of the 2024 season, we first trimmed down the squad to a 53-man roster. From there, a depth chart was established.
Considering the following depth charts, how would an NFL team comprised of only former Georgia players—an Only-Georgia team—fare this season in the league?
(Each former Georgia player is followed by his NFL team and number of years of league experience, including the 2024 season, in parenthesis. R=Rookie.)
We’re headed at quarterback by veteran Matthew Stafford, who, in his mid-30s last season, was named to the Pro Bowl. His reserve, Stetson Bennett, is the same signal-caller who’ll actually back him up in 2024 with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Only-Georgia team would likely have the best set of running backs in the history of the league. Although Nick Chubb will likely not be 100 percent by the start of the season, we went ahead and established him as our primary back. Following close behind is James Cook, who’d be effective as our third-down back.
Considering the unit’s top player, George Pickens, has been largely inconsistent and we’re essentially starting two slot receivers (although we’ll likely line Ladd McConkey out wide), the team is thin at wide receiver. Loaded at tight end, however, with Brock Bowers, Charlie Woerner, and Darnell Washington, we’re looking forward to exhibiting a three-tight end set on occasion.
Of the team’s nine offensive linemen, five were first-round selections. Center David Andrews, who has been New England’s starting center and a seven-time team captain since 2016, anchors the unit. At right guard, Ben Cleveland, who appears will be a full-time starter in 2024 for Baltimore, just edges out Jamaree Slayer—for now.
ONLY-GEORGIA – Defense and Specialists
Our 4-3 defense is highlighted by what would probably be the top group of defensive tackles in the NFL. The top four at the unit—Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, and John Jenkins—all have all-star potential. Travon Walker, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and veteran Leonard Floyd, who totaled a career-high 10.5 sacks with Buffalo last season, man the two starting defensive end spots.
Roquan Smith, one of four Pro Bowlers from last year on the team, spearheads a stout linebacking corps. Smith is joined by Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean as starters, along with quality depth on the second team.
At safety is where there’s likely the most concern for this team. Javon Bullard and Tykee Smith, perhaps our top two players at the position, are both rookies. On the contrary, Only-Georgia is sound at cornerback. The top four at the two positions were all starters in the league towards the end of last season. In addition, rookie Kamari Lassiter, who will possibly start at nickel back for Houston as a rookie, will provide depth.
As far as our specialists, long-snapper Nick Moore was a Pro Bowler in 2022. Punter Jake Camarda likely should’ve been a Pro Bowler a year ago. And although Jack Podlesny has yet to attempt a kick in the NFL, we like our chances with one of the most accurate placekickers in SEC history.
There you have it—the NFL’s Only-Georgia team. For what it lacks at wide receiver and safety, it more than makes up for with an unfathomable stable of backs, a deep, talented offensive line, and a front-seven on defense which would worry most opposing offenses.
NORCROSS, GEORGIA — Geoff Duncan, former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia, won’t stop apologizing.
He’s sorry for supporting the state’s 2019 “heartbeat bill,” which bans abortion at around six weeks, after a fetal heartbeat is detected. He’s sorry for facilitating the passage of a “constitutional carry” bill in 2022, which allows most people to carry a concealed handgun with no license or background check. He’s also sorry for opposing Medicaid expansion, arguing at the time that it was not fiscally responsible.
“I’m sorry for those positions and any harm that they may have done,” Duncan told me.
Duncan first rose to prominence as one of the Republicans who resisted President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s narrow 2020 win in Georgia. Duncan has been speaking out against what he calls Trump’s “toxic” and “dangerous” Republican Party since leaving office in 2023, and even endorsed Kamala Harris and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2024. After being excommunicated from the Georgia Republican Party in January 2025, Duncan switched parties in August. He is now running for governor as a Democrat in what will be one of the most closely watched races in the midterms.
Georgia Tech didn’t let the weekend get away.
The No. 2 Yellow Jackets were flying high with a 13-game win streak heading into the weekend showdown against No. 3 North Carolina. The Tar Heels took the first two games, but Tech salvaged the finale 5-2 on Sunday.
htiw eht eht pets stops llams detluser sgniknar ,llarevo sessol ni ni gnippilf dniheb ,kcab a .ALCU hceT htroN .oN roF aniloraC ,)CCA 5-61 1 7-23(
hcihw pot eht eht naht ekat desiar .m.p no fo erom .noillim ,puhctam si ni sah sucof evif reggib stifeneb ta ta sa rehtona launna dna wolleY yadseuT tsiurT ehT gnirpS )CES kraP .oN stekcaJ erachtlaeH aigroeG ,cissalC s’nerdlihC atnaltA 7 5 5-31 ,9-23( 5.4$
hcihw pot emit eht eht eht taht smaet deknar ni ni ni .evif tsrif htob nageb era gnirpS s’tI ,cissalC ,3002
sniw pot ot ot hguorht siht eht eht eht eht s’taht maet trats trats ecnis ecnis eludehcs nosaes-raluger .deknar deknar revo stnenoppo no ffo tsom tsal sti sti si si ni evah semag emag raey-tsrif yltnerruc tiderc ecnerefnoc hcaoc .yrutnec tseb tseb dna tsniaga a a wolleY ehT ehT hceT .yesmaR semaJ stekcaJ aigroeG 93 ,1102 0102 ,51 01
niw niw saw koot ot .oN-neht eht eht eht eht peews ,kaerts .seires degavlas revo no no no ffo fo puhctam ssol sgninni ni .elanif dedne thgie gnimoc erofeb erofeb dna dna a a CNU ehT hceT hceT raT etatS nrehtuoS s’yadrutaS htroN sleeH aigroeG yadirF adirolF aniloraC lirpA lirpA 11-9 2-5 5 4-41 41 9-31
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 2 Georgia Tech got back to its winning ways, defeating No. 3 North Carolina (33-7-1, 15-6 ACC) by a final score of 5-2 from Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Yellow Jackets (32-7, 16-5 ACC) held UNC in check from the third inning on, using 6.1 scoreless innings from Caden Gaudette and Mason Patel to salvage the series and collect its 10th Top 15 victory of the season for this first time this century.
After both teams traded runs in the first inning, the Jackets struck for three runs on three hits in the third. The inning started with a leadoff double from Drew Burress who was quickly brought to the plate by a single from Jarren Advincula. Vahn Lackey drew a walk off a full count before Kent Schmidt connected for an RBI double, bringing in Advincula for what would become the game-winning run. Lackey made it a three-run inning when he scored on an RBI groundout by Ryan Zuckerman. UNC would work the bases loaded and score a run in the bottom of the inning before Gaudette entered the game and induced an inning ending groundout. UNC wouldn’t get another runner into scoring position until the eight inning as Gaudette and Patel slammed the door on any potential comeback.
QUICK HITS: TEAM
- The Jackets improve to 32-7, the best start to a season since 2010. Tech is 16-5 in ACC play, the best start since 2011.
- Tech has won 32 of its first 39 games for only the 6th time in the program’s 131 seasons: 2010, 2003 2002, 1997, 1993 and now 2026.
- James Ramsey owns the best record by any GT head coach in his first season through 39 games (32-7).
- The Jackets improve to 8-1 in nationally televised games this season.
- Tech has now won 10 games over Top 15 opponents for the first time this century.
- Tech has scored 417 runs through their first 39 games. It’s the most runs Georgia Tech has recorded after 39 games in the program’s 131-year history and the most runs any Power 4 team has scored through 39 games in the BBCOR era (since 2011).
- The Jackets scoring average now stands at 10.7 runs/game this season. The program record is 10.3, set back in 1984.
- GT is outscoring its opponents 417-174, that +243 margin is the highest through 39 games in program history.
- The bullpen delivered 6.1 scoreless innings, marking the 15th scoreless outing of the season and second of the weekend.
QUICK HITS: THE BATS
- Junior Drew Burress produced his 17th multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.
- He has scored 51 runs this season, one shy of Vahn Lackey for the most on the team. Burress has scored 201 runs over his career, tied with Danny Payne (2005-07) for the 11th most in Georgia Tech history.
- He becomes the first Yellow Jacket in the BBCOR era to record 200+ runs over a career.
- Junior Kent Schmidt went 2-for-4 with a go-ahead RBI double and a shift-beating bunt.
- He leads the team with 26 RBI in ACC play and has delivered 35 for the season.
- Schmidt has now collected extra base hits in three straight games for the first time this season and third time in his GT career.
- He finishes the series with a .500 average, going 4-for-8 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI, two runs scored and three walks
- Junior Jarren Advincula recorded his 24th multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
- He leads the ACC with 68 hits this season, averaging 1.7 hits per game and putting him on pace for 94 hits over the course of the regular season. With potential postseason games, that would put him in striking distance of being the first 100-hit player at GT since 2005 (Wes Hodges & Tyler Greene).
- He drove in his 45th RBI of the season, the third most on the team behind Vahn Lackey and Ryan Zuckerman.
- Junior Ryan Zuckerman became the first Jacket to reach 50 RBI when he drove in Lackey for the fourth run of the game.
- Sophomore Caleb Daniel came off the bench in the 5th inning and blooped an RBI double, it was his 24th RBI of the season and his 5th as a pinch hitter.
QUICK HITS: THE ARMS
- Sophomore Jackson Blakely made his sixth consecutive weekend start, pitching 2.2 innings with two earned runs allowed and three strikeouts.
- He has only allowed runs in only three of his eight appearances this season (37.1 innings) this season.
- His ERA stands at 2.65, the lowest among all starting pitchers on the roster.
- R-junior Caden Gaudette made his team-leading 16th appearance of the season and 2nd of the weekend, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings.
- He entered the game with a two-run lead (4-2) and the bases loaded with two outs before inducing an inning ending groundout to short.
- Gaudette lowers his ERA to 2.86 in 22.0 innings of work.
- The man they call “Rock” pitched a total of 3.1 innings this weekend, allowing only one hit with four strikeouts.
- He has now pitched as many innings this season as he had in his previous two years combined (22.0) while allowing less than half as many earned runs (7 in 2026, 15 in 2024-25) and exactly half as many hits (12 in 2026, 24 in 2024-25).
- Mason Patel got the ball to start the 6th inning, keeping the score at 5-2 for the final four frames and collecting his fourth save of the season.
- Since recovering from an injury that saw him miss 20 days, Patel has made six appearances out of the bullpen, pitching 13.2 scoreless innings with a victory and four saves.
- Over the last two seasons, Patel has made 29 appearances out of the bullpen, posting 12 wins and nine saves.
- This was his longest relief appearance of the season (4.0 innings) after pitching at least 3.0 innings in 15 of his 23 appearances during his All-American season last year.
Up Next
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. Tuesday at 7 pm at Truist Park. Tickets are available HERE with all proceeds benefiting the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on X (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
-
Illinois5 minutes ago‘Millionaires tax’ would hike rate 61% on 22K Illinois small businesses
-
Indiana11 minutes agoWhy Sophie Cunningham turned down multi-year contract offers to return to Indiana Fever
-
Iowa17 minutes agoIowa DOT plans overnight I‑80 closure at northeast mixmaster
-
Kansas23 minutes agoFinal 7-Round Kansas City Chiefs 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Putting my skills to the test against an AI trained to think like Brett Veach
-
Kentucky29 minutes agoAsia Boone will return to Kentucky for senior year
-
Louisiana35 minutes agoGaining momentum: Louisiana climbs to No. 3 in the South for job growth
-
Maine41 minutes agoMaine’s legislative session has ended. Here’s what happened.
-
Maryland47 minutes agoOpen thread: Maryland women’s basketball