ATHENS, Ga. — Two days after adding a receiver and a safety from the transfer portal, Georgia added another receiver and two more safeties on Tuesday.
Noah Thomas, who was Texas A&M’s leading receiver this season, and safeties Jaden Harris, a starter for Miami, and Adrian Maddox, a starter for UAB, all announced commitments to Georgia.
Earlier, Georgia added brothers Zachariah Branch and Zion Branch from USC. Those are the only portal additions, but both at positions of needs, especially receiver.
Thomas is a 6-foot-6 target who can play the “X” outside receiver position where Georgia had a void this season after the summer dismissal of Rara Thomas and Colbie Young’s suspension after five games. Young could return to the team for one final season if his court situation is resolved. But the team can’t necessarily count on that.
A junior this season, Harris led the Aggies in catches (39), receiving yards (574) and touchdown catches (eight). He had 29 catches for 359 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore, after playing sparingly his freshman season.
This gives Georgia potentially two of its starters at receiver or at least two key members of the rotation. Branch, a five-star prospect two years ago, figures to be in the slot. Dillon Bell, who played a lot of the X spot this year, could slide to his more natural spot. The team returns rising junior London Humphreys and rising sophomores Nitro Tuggle and Sacovie White, and it signed a good class of high school recruits, including five-star prospect Talyn Taylor.
GO DEEPER
Georgia picks up highly touted transfer duo Zachariah and Zion Branch from USC
Meanwhile, Harris and Maddox offer options at safety, where the team loses starters Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson. The Bulldogs do return KJ Bolden, a former five-star recruit who played very well as a freshman, and added Zion Branch.
Harris started every game this year for the Hurricanes but struggled at times, doing better in run-stopping than pass coverage. So he could begin as a backup, or the team could see if he can be developed into more. One of the safeties could get a look at nickel back, or the team could employ a three-safety rotation, as it did for most of this season.
Maddox played two seasons at Alabama State before playing this season at UAB. He finished with 44 tackles and one interception for the Blazers.
Other comings and goings
Guard Dylan Fairchild announced he was turning pro. That means the offensive line, surprisingly weak in 2024 and the Sugar Bowl, is losing both starting guards, with Tate Ratledge also off to the NFL. Center Jared Wilson, coming off his first year as a starter, when he missed two games, has been announced as a Senior Bowl invite so he’s heading to the NFL.
The other offensive decisions to come are tailback Trevor Etienne and Oscar Delp, who had not made announcements as of Tuesday morning.
On defense, the three likely first-round picks all made it official on Monday. Defensive tackle Christen Miller announced he was staying, leaving cornerback Daylen Everette and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins as the big remaining draft decisions.
There was a big portal loss: Damon Wilson, a rising junior who had a chance to replace Mykel Williams or Chaz Chambliss at outside linebacker. The team does return rising sophomore Quintavius Johnson and signed five-star Isaiah Gibson and two other top-50 recruits in Darren Ikkanagbon and Chase Linton. But assuming Wilson does leave, the Bulldogs could look in the portal for a veteran edge player and think about moving rising junior Gabe Wilson from defensive end, where he played most of this year.
(Photo of Noah Thomas: David Becker / Getty Images)
