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Georgia’s camp progress is real, but the offense still has homework

Georgia will leave fall camp with a more advanced quarterback, a defense that looks capable of carrying championship expectations and an offense still searching for the player who changes the geometry of the field.

That is not a bad August. It is not a finished one, either.

The clearest positive has been Gunner Stockton. Kirby Smart said the senior has improved “immensely,” particularly in processing protections, handling long play calls, organizing the offense and moving within the pocket. Those are not decorative quarterback skills. They are the difference between surviving a third-and-7 pressure look and getting Georgia into the right answer before the snap.

Mike Bobo has also pushed Stockton to be more aggressive downfield without turning him into a contestant on the Josh Allen impersonation show. Stockton protected the football well in 2025, but Georgia also protected him with the run game and quick throws to Zachariah Branch. With Branch and several veteran receivers gone, the offense needs Stockton to create more explosive passes while retaining the judgment that made him dependable.

The trouble is that nobody at receiver has seized the job of becoming his obvious first option. Smart said no one in the room has dominated. Reports from the first scrimmage credited London Humphreys and Landon Roldan with good work, while freshmen Craig Dandridge and Kaiden Prothro have continued to draw attention. The less flattering theme has been dropped passes.

That matters because Georgia cannot manufacture an explosive offense entirely through play design. Bobo can use formations, motion and a deep tight end room to create favorable matchups, but eventually somebody must beat man coverage or turn an ordinary completion into 25 yards. August has produced candidates, not an answer.

The running game appears further along. Nate Frazier supplied a long run in the first scrimmage, Chauncey Bowens ran effectively, and freshman Jae Lamar showed why he is difficult to ignore. Dwight Phillips Jr. remains one of the offense’s fastest pieces and should receive touches in multiple ways.

Yet the third-down role remains open. Smart wants a back who can understand protections, adjust routes and catch reliably, not merely collide with a blitzer. Cash Jones quietly handled that job at a high level. Georgia has bodies in the room, but replacing his situational intelligence is a different assignment.

Up front, Drew Bobo’s return to a full practice after a finger issue was important. Cortez Smith and Malachi Toliver have continued competing behind him, while sophomore Juan Gaston has the talent and versatility to play tackle or guard. Smart’s public challenge to Gaston — and to the line generally — concerned stamina. Georgia must sustain blocks through eight- and 10-play drives, not just win the first three snaps while everyone’s lungs remain polite.

Defensively, the floor looks high. Chris Cole has become one of the team’s tone-setters, KJ Bolden is functioning as both an elite safety and a demanding leader, and Ellis Robinson appears positioned for a larger role at corner. Clemson transfer Khalil Barnes adds instincts and ball production to a safety competition that still includes several possible combinations.

The unresolved concern is whether Georgia can consistently pressure quarterbacks with four rushers. Smart did not see enough in the first scrimmage to declare that solved. Chase Linton’s development, plus another step from Quintavius Johnson and Gabe Harris Jr., could change the equation, but “could” remains the operative word.

Camp has given Georgia a sturdier quarterback and a defense with few obvious weak spots. It has not delivered a proven explosive receiver, a settled third-down back or certainty off the edge. Tennessee State offers a forgiving opening exam. By the time Oklahoma arrives on Sept. 26, those August questions will need September answers.

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