Category: SEC Football

UGA LBs CJ Allen, Raylen Wilson poised to anchor Dawgs defense in 2025

CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson are no longer Georgia’s promising young linebackers—they’re the leaders of a new-look defense chasing another national title.

Both players were thrown into the fire as true freshmen in 2023, stepping in after injuries to veterans Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon. By 2024, they were no longer fill-ins—they were difference-makers.

Allen led the linebacker unit with 76 total tackles last season, just one behind team leader Malaki Starks. Wilson, meanwhile, logged 47 total tackles and made impact plays behind the line of scrimmage, racking up seven tackles for loss.

Defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann, who also serves as inside linebackers coach, says the game has finally slowed down for his veteran duo.

“It’s honestly really crazy to think about,” Schumann said. “I constantly refer to them as the old heads now… it feels like you have forever when you first get here, and the next thing you know, you’re a junior.”

That increased experience is translating on the field. Schumann says Allen and Wilson are no longer reacting—they’re anticipating. And that’s made them faster, more confident, and more vocal leaders across the board.

“You’re not reacting,” Schumann said. “You’re anticipating… They’re more confident both in terms of communicating the defense, commanding from a leadership standpoint, and speeding up their run fits.”

Kirby Smart echoed those sentiments when discussing Georgia’s linebacker unit as a whole, pointing to Schumann’s track record developing inside backers and deploying them creatively in multiple-linebacker sets.

“That room has been one of our strengths throughout the time we’ve been here,” Smart said. “We play a lot of them. Naturally, there’s two out there every play, but sometimes we have three.”

With Mondon off to the NFL and no clear-cut star emerging beyond Allen and Wilson, the two juniors are now the backbone of the Bulldogs defense. Behind them are second-year players Chris Cole and Justin Williams, who could factor in heavily as Georgia looks to rotate at least three linebackers this fall.

If Georgia returns to championship-level defense in 2025, it’ll be because Allen and Wilson delivered. So far, all signs point to them being up for the challenge.

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Texas loses key OL ahead of season

Texas Longhorns offensive tackle Andre Cojoe will miss the 2025 season after suffering a torn ACL, according to multiple reports Monday.

The third-year lineman, who hails from Grand Prairie, Texas, was expected to compete for the starting right tackle job this fall. His injury is a major blow to the Longhorns’ offensive line depth as they prepare for their Aug. 30 season opener at Ohio State.

Cojoe did not appear in any games during his freshman season in 2023 but played in four contests in 2024. He is now expected to apply for a medical redshirt in order to retain a year of eligibility.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian recently addressed the right tackle competition between Cojoe and sophomore Brandon Baker.

“I want to see a level of consistency out of those guys at right tackle,” Sarkisian said. “We’re pushing them to get out of their shell, get out of their comfort zone and play a little more nastily.”

The Longhorns lost several starters from last year’s offensive line, including left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., center Jake Majors, left guard Hayden Conner and right tackle Cameron Williams. That has raised questions about the team’s overall depth up front.

Despite the setback, Texas still returns talent in left tackle Trevor Goosby, center Cole Hutson and right guard DJ Campbell.

“I think we are a really gritty O-line,” Goosby said. “That’s kind of what we pride ourselves on.”

Offensive coordinator and line coach Kyle Flood said the team’s offensive tackles are getting valuable reps by facing top edge rushers like Colin Simmons, Trey Moore and Ethan Burke in practice.

“One of the advantages we have is we’re going to play against a really talented edge group in training camp,” Flood said. “So I think these guys are going to get challenged on a day-to-day basis.”

Texas and Ohio State will kick off from Columbus on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. CT on FOX.

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Finebaum questions whether Gunner Stockton can lead Georgia to national title

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton is stepping into the spotlight this season, but not everyone is convinced he’s ready to lead the Bulldogs back to a national title.

Appearing on his show, SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum said he’s not sold on Stockton as a championship-caliber quarterback.

“My answer is no,” Finebaum said. “I don’t have a lot of faith in Gunner Stockton. The better question is, do I have more faith in Gunner Stockton today than I did in Stetson Bennett four or five years ago? I probably do. So, it’s proven that Georgia, if it has an elite defense and enough complements on offense, can get there.”

Stockton replaces Carson Beck, who transferred to Miami after two years as Georgia’s starter. Beck threw for 7,426 yards, 52 touchdowns and 18 interceptions but never delivered a title. That challenge now falls to Stockton, who has appeared in just five games.

Most of his action came late in the 2024 season, after Beck suffered a season-ending injury. In the SEC Championship Game, Stockton stepped in and helped Georgia defeat Texas in overtime, 22-19. He ran for eight yards to set up Trevor Etienne’s game-winning 4-yard touchdown.

In the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, Stockton started against Notre Dame and completed 20-of-32 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown in a 23-10 loss.

Finebaum made it clear he needs to see more.

Stockton will be one of several new starting quarterbacks in the 2025-2026 college football landscape, including new signal-callers at Ohio State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas, Oregon, and Alabama.

The Bulldogs are still expected to contend in the SEC, but the question remains whether Stockton can elevate Georgia from a playoff team to a national champion.

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ESPN Labels Georgia-Tennessee as pivotal swing game for the upcoming season

When scanning Georgia’s brutal 2025 football schedule—home dates with Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas, plus road trips to Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech—it’s easy to circle several high-stakes matchups. But ESPN’s Mark Schlabach has singled out one game that could quietly swing the Bulldogs’ season: Sept. 13 at Tennessee.

It may not carry the SEC prestige of Alabama or the pageantry of the Florida rivalry, but the road clash against the Volunteers represents a critical turning point early in Georgia’s conference slate.

“It will be a significant road test for starting quarterback Gunner Stockton and the offense playing in one of the most intimidating road environments in the SEC,” Schlabach wrote. He noted that while Georgia has won eight straight against Tennessee—and 13 of the last 15—the Volunteers were a College Football Playoff team last season.

A Crucial Early Test in Knoxville
Georgia enters the season with a young, talented roster led by Stockton, who is stepping into the starting role under massive expectations. Opening with Marshall and Austin Peay should ease him into the job, but Week 3 at Neyland Stadium could be his first true trial by fire.

Kirby Smart is hold a dominant 8-1 against Tennessee since taking over in Athens, the lone loss coming in 2016 on a Hail Mary. Georgia has dominated recent matchups in Knoxville, winning the last four by 24 or more points. But with Alabama looming the following week, Smart and company can’t afford to get caught looking ahead.

Tennessee Reloading After Playoff Push
The Volunteers must replace starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava and leading rusher Dylan Sampson, but their physical run game and defense remain the backbone of Josh Heupel’s program. Heupel understands the significance of this matchup, saying at SEC Media Days, “It will be important for us — that’s Week 3 — that we’re ready to go play at the level we need to against a really good football team.”

Despite Georgia’s recent dominance, Tennessee’s playoff pedigree and hostile home crowd make this a true gut-check moment for a Bulldogs team that needs to establish rhythm before entering an eight-game SEC gauntlet.

Confidence and Momentum at Stake
Beating Tennessee isn’t just about adding another W—it’s about momentum. A win in Knoxville gives Georgia early confidence, especially for Stockton. A loss, however, could immediately put them behind in the SEC race with Alabama waiting in the wings.

In a season loaded with championship expectations and tough opponents, the Week 3 matchup at Rocky Top might just be the one that defines Georgia’s path in the 2025-26 college football season.

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