Georgia is not immune to the transfer portal issues that the rest of the country deals with, even with the Bulldogs preparing for the College Football Playoff down the road.
On Friday, Hayes Fawcett with On3 Sports reported a string of portal entries from within Georgia. That group for Kirby Smart consists of safety Justyn Rhett, linebacker Troy Bowles and edge Samuel M’Pemba. Interestingly enough, all 3 hail from Georgia’s 2023 recruiting class as former 4-star recruits.
From that group, M’Pemba was the highest-rated coming out of high school as the No. 47 player nationally and the 8th overall edge prospect per the 247 Sports Composite. He produced 6 total tackles and saw action in 11 games as a true freshman but appeared in just 4 games without registering a tackle this season.
Bowles is the son of NFL head coach Todd Bowles and came out of high school as a 4-star recruit and the No. 6 LB nationally for 2023. He was another top-100 prospect for the Bulldogs but has just 5 total tackles, all from his freshman season in the program.
Rhett was also a 4-star prospect coming out of high school but ranked as the 38th overall cornerback in the country. He has just 3 total tackles in very limited action across his 2 seasons in the program.
Seeing a trio of players from the same recruiting class hit the portal may seem a bit odd, but the Bulldogs did produce 17 total 4-star commitments for the class of 2023 with 5 more players rated as 5-stars. That group also produced key contributors CJ Allen, Raylen Wilson and Joenel Aguero, among others.
Head coach Kirby Smart acknowledged the challenges posed by the transfer portal, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the committed players while adapting to unexpected roster changes. The losses could test the Bulldogs’ depth as they aim to maintain their championship-caliber performanc
It’s also notable that all 3 players from Friday’s moves reside on the defensive side of the ball, a unit that is particularly tough to carve out playing time for a young player these days. We’ll see where that trio winds up playing for 2025.
