Coach Kirby Smart took to the podium at SEC Kickoff as the first speaker on the day. With a resounding message of “relationships over transactions,” fire, energy, and passion seem to be the pillars that Coach Smart has presented to the 2025 Georgia Bulldogs as they look to return another National Championship trophy to the great city of Athens.

In the offseason, Georgia had former quarterback Carson Beck decide to leave the program to head south to Miami, where he received more NIL money but joined a lesser program that doesn’t offer the opportunity to win a National Championship. However, the Bulldogs have a damn good dawg at quarterback now with the hometown hero, Gunner Stockton, leading the charge into a new era of Georgia football.

It’s no secret that Gunner Stockton might be among the most beloved Georgia players since Herschel Walker; he’s a home-state kid who grew up loving the silver britches and dreaming of the day when he had his opportunity to play for the Bulldogs. Like his coach, Gunner Stockton understands what it means to be a damn good dawg, and gets that he has the potential to leave a legacy that will rival that of Hershel Walker, or that of Coach Kirby Smart.

Elsewhere around the roster, Coach Kirby Smart mentioned CJ Allen and Daylen Everette on the defensive side of the ball as the two guys he has seen not only show leadership this offseason, but as the guys on that side of the ball that represent the ” Fire, Energy, and Passion,” he’s looking for this season. Coach Smart also expects big things from Christen Millen at defensive tackle, who he expects to be the anchor of the Bulldogs’ defensive line.

For a team overlooked by the national media, with 46% of its production from last season returning, by the time the dust settles, we could be living in another world where Coach Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are once again National Champions. Georgia does get Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas at Sanford Stadium this fall; a road game at Neyland could provide a speed bump, but overall, the schedule sets up for the Bulldogs to make a run at another National Championship.

Georgia opens the season at home as the Thundering Herd of Marshall travels to Sanford Stadium to face the Bulldogs.

Photo Credits- Georgia Football on X