On Tuesday, the Georgia football program will take the field for the first of its 15 practices this spring.

The Bulldogs return plenty of talent from last season’s SEC championship team. Among the more well-known players are running back Nate Frazier and safety KJ Bolden.

But these practices won’t be spent preparing for future opponents, as the Bulldogs will be focused on internal improvement.

That will give younger players the chance to show coaches they’re capable of taking on bigger roles for the upcoming season.

While there isn’t any buzz prior to the start of practice, we expect these five players to be among those who get Georgia fans even more excited for the upcoming season.

Quarterback Ryan Montgomery

Starter Gunner Stockton has nothing to prove this spring. He’ll be judged by how he plays in December and January.

As for the backup battle, Ryan Puglisi enters having manned the job a season ago. He’ll look to get more comfortable while sharpening his decision-making in his third season in Athens.

But keep an eye out for Montgomery. He wasn’t a full participant last spring as he recovered from a knee injury he suffered in high school. Coaches love what Montgomery brings to the table, as he’s drawn comparisons to former Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm. We think Montgomery will turn a few heads this spring for the Bulldogs.

Wide receiver Isiah Canion

Georgia did not bring in a big transfer class, adding only nine players via the transfer portal.

But we expect Canion to make an immediate impact in Georgia’s wide receiver room. He caught 33 passes for 480 yards and 4 touchdowns last season for the rival Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

With Georgia losing Zachariah Branch, Colbie Young, Dillon Bell and Noah Thomas, the Bulldogs have plenty of production that needs to be replaced.

Canion brings a size element to Georgia’s wide receiver room that none of its newcomers or returnees have. We expect him to quickly emerge as a favorite for not just Stockton but all of Georgia’s quarterbacks.

Tight end Ethan Barbour

Georgia’s tight end room is stacked. Lawson Luckie will be one of the key leaders on the team. The Bulldogs signed three blue-chip tight end prospects in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

But Barbour is going to be someone who comes up often this spring.

He redshirted in his first season on campus, but only because of a gruesome ankle injury he suffered in Georgia’s second game of the season. He started the season opener for Georgia and recovered in time to play in Georgia’s College Football Playoff game against Ole Miss.

Barbour may not have the freaky athleticism that Elyiss Williams or Jaden Reddell possess, but Barbour has a ton of positional versatility that allows him to become a favorite of offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.

Inside linebacker Justin Williams

The biggest departure from last year’s defense is All-American linebacker CJ Allen. Fortunately for Georgia, the Bulldogs have multiple linebackers to fill the void left by Allen.

Raylen Wilson and Chris Cole will likely be the starters for Georgia entering 2026 but don’t overlook what Williams brings to the table.

He was a rotational player for Georgia last season who took on a larger role when Allen suffered a knee injury against Texas.

Coaches love the intangibles that Williams brings to the position. Couple that with the athleticism that made him a five-star prospect in Georgia’s 2024 recruiting class and Williams seems like a perfect spring breakout candidate.

Outside linebacker Chase Linton

A leg injury prevented Linton from playing a larger role as a true freshman. Perhaps if he had been able to contribute, Georgia wouldn’t have ranked last in the SEC in sacks.

Georgia brings back Quintavius Johnson and Gabe Harris, giving the Bulldogs two very competent defenders at the position.

Because of that depth, Georgia can elect to deploy Linton with how it feels comfortable, rather than just throwing him into the deep end.

Georgia won’t be able to hit the quarterbacks during spring practice, so it will be hard to truly measure progress for the Georgia pass rush. But we expect Linton to make some noise and create havoc for Georgia during the 15 spring practices.