With attrition hitting Georgia’s wide receiver room and more possibly on the way, it appears Kirby Smart may be relying more on the transfer portal than initially thought.
Saturday night’s news that freshman Zeed Haynes intends to enter the portal makes three wide receivers, along with Mekhi Mews and Jackson Meeks, who have elected to do so. There’s also Ladd McConkey, who has a decision to make on whether or not he leaves early for the NFL.
Last year, the Bulldogs brought in Dominic Lovett and RaRa Thomas to fill gaps, and this year it appears Smart is going back to the portal.
One potential addition is former Vanderbilt wideout London Humphreys, who took an official visit to UGA this weekend.
But who else might the Bulldogs consider? While we think the Bulldogs only intended to take one portal wideout, maybe the Haynes news sends them looking for more.
In prior interviews, Smart has said he tends to focus on players that he and his coaches already know by having either played against them, recruited them or had them for summer camps in Athens.
Using those parameters, let’s take a look at some potential candidates:
• Antwane Wells: The Bulldogs know Wells well after playing against him for the past two years. The senior – who transferred to South Carolina from James Madison - would obviously be a nice fit, but Georgia would obviously have a ton of competitors. 2022 Stats – Wells was injured for virtually the entire year, catching just three passes for 37 yards. He caught 68 for the Gamecocks in 2022.
• Michael Jackson: A junior from Southern Cal, Jackson - who went to the same high school in Las Vegas as Darnell Washington - caught 17 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown last year for the Trojans. He is a former four-star by Rivals.
• Rico Flores Jr: A freshman from Notre Dame, Flores held an offer from Georgia and took an official visit to Athens on April 29, 2022. 2023 Stats – Caught 27 passes for 392 yards and a touchdown.
• Raleek Brown: The Southern Cal freshman intends to enter the portal. Although he did not visit Athens, he did hold an offer from the Bulldogs. 2023 Stats - Caught three passes for 18 yards in a limited playing time.
• Ja’Mori Maclin: North Texas by way of Missouri, the Bulldogs know Maclin from his days with the Tigers where he was briefly a teammate of Lovett. 2023 Stats – Caught 57 passes for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns last year for the Mean Green.
• Julian Fleming: Former five-star from Ohio State is coming out as a grad transfer. He visited Georgia way back on April 14, 2018. 2023 Stats - Caught 26 passes for 270 yards last year for the Buckeyes.
• Sam Mbake: A graduate of North Cobb High in Kennesaw, Mbake took an official visit to Georgia back in 2019. 2023 Stats – Did not catch a pass last fall.
• Malcolm Johnson: Former Auburn wide receiver held a Bulldog offer out of high school.2023 Stats – Seldom-used receiver caught just six passes last fall.
• Will Sheppard: The former Vanderbilt standout is one of the best receivers in the SEC, but the competition will be fierce should Georgia attempt to make a run. 2023 Stats – Last year caught 47 passes for 684 yards and eight touchdowns.
• T.J. Sheffield: Former Purdue wide receiver held a Georgia coming out of high school in Tennessee. 2023 Stats – The senior had 32 catches for 381 yards last year and has over 100 receptions in his career.
