Georgia fans, buckle up. This season could be a rollercoaster. Georgia’s glory days under Kirby Smart have been nothing short of dominant. But heading into 2025, the Bulldogs are walking into uncharted waters. Why? Looks like they are short on talent…

Look, key stars from the 2024 squad are off to the NFL. And Carson Beck? He’s headed to Miami. As of now, with all that firepower out the door, questions loom large in Athens. CFB analyst Patrick Weider isn’t holding back—he’s sounding the alarm. And Georgia, he says, is one of the top 3 teams most likely to take a step back this season. But why? A brutal schedule, a thin defense, and uncertainty under center. Right now, to make things even spicier, a Fox Sports analyst just came out swinging—addressing Kirby Smart’s fears about tampering head-on. And the message? This new era of CFB is wild, and even the kingpins aren’t safe.

RJ Young took a bold stance: Kirby Smart is absolutely right about tampering. Well, with the portal window opening, the chaos is real. And teams in the Big 12 and beyond are getting aggressive, scooping up players they normally wouldn’t and raiding Power 4 rosters for hidden gems. Here, RJ didn’t mince words, and he laid it out clearly, saying, “It’s because Kirby continues to have guys on his roster that might play or play a little bit who end up transferring out to other places because: A) they’re not playing enough, or B) they’re getting a better offer.” So, it’s a high-stakes game now, and even elite programs like Georgia are feeling the heat in the transfer portal era.

Look, star QB Carson Beck took his talents to Miami, lured by a jaw-dropping $4 million NIL deal. Then, CB Julian Humphrey bolted for Texas A&M after losing his starting job. On top of that, Michael Jackson III and Nitro Tuggle? Also gone, after spending some quiet seasons on the field. Even former 5-star edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr. packed up after a low-impact year. So, it’s a new age in CFB, and Georgia’s fighting to keep its roster intact.

However, RJ Young didn’t hold back when it came to calling out the mindset behind the madness. “And he [Kirby Smart] is of the notion that he’s never met a player that was really good that had money as their number one,” said Young. But why? Because the top dogs don’t chase the bag—the bag chases them. Honestly, if you’re truly elite, money finds you. There is no need to bargain, no need to beg. Because when you’re a five-star, you don’t have to hustle for deals; you are the deal.

So, according to RJ Young, 5-star athletes don’t need to seek financial gain; it seeks them. And “I put guys in this category like Ryan Williams at Alabama, Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State. You don’t need to go searching for money. Money’s never got to be your priority because you’re always going to have it,” said Young. So, these elite recruits know their worth, and they don’t need to jump ship or cut deals—they’re walking gold mines. That’s why Kirby Smart’s concerns about tampering hit so hard. It’s not the five-stars he’s losing—it’s the mid-tier guys being poached with promises of instant money and playing time. Simply put, the current state of CFB is such that even a powerhouse like Georgia is not immune to upsets.

Here, RJ Young kept it real and didn’t sugarcoat it, stating, “Be real, you know what I’m saying? Like, if some of you—some folks that are in that mid tier—maybe you are a low four-star, high three-star, you might not be able to unseat the five-star in front of you. You might go test the portal. You might come out, and this might be the last boom period that we see in college football for some time.”

This is the hard truth for many players. Be real—not everyone’s a 5-star, and patience is running thin. Right now, for those stuck behind elite talent, the portal starts to look like a golden ticket. It is a shot at more playing time and a chance to cash in fast. But this boom won’t last forever, and the clock is ticking louder every day.

As of now, while the portal has become a growing tampering concern for Kirby Smart this season, a $2.7 million quarterback deal is triggering even more headaches for the Georgia head coach.

Kirby Smart’s latest troubles

We all know Kirby Smart and his Georgia team have been all-in on landing No. 1 QB Jared Curtis. But after his decommitment last October, it’s now a heated battle with Oregon. As of now, if Curtis heads west, it could spark Georgia’s worst-case recruiting nightmare for 2026.

Look, first off—Jared Curtis chose prom over a Georgia visit this weekend. However, it sounds harmless, right? But let’s be real: he knew that date was coming, and he could’ve planned a different visit. At that point, with his commitment locked in for May 5, insiders like Graham Coffey say he might be done taking visits altogether. And that’s not a great sign for Georgia.

However, there’s a chance Curtis is already locked in with Georgia—no visit needed. But let’s not ignore the buzz. Oregon’s been gaining serious steam for months. Right now, if he’s already Ducks-bound, Georgia could be in trouble. And with backup QB plans starting to slip, Bulldog fans better hope he’s still barking.

So, Kirby Smart’s backup QB plans are hitting bumps. Georgia’s been chasing Bowe Bentley and Landon Duckworth alongside Jared Curtis—but both are slipping away. Yes, Bentley’s top 3 includes Georgia, but Oklahoma and LSU are surging hard. Meanwhile, Duckworth is now crystal-balled to Ole Miss by top insiders.

And that makes total sense because no top recruit wants to be a backup plan—and that’s exactly what Bentley and Duckworth are to Georgia. Meanwhile, they’re the top targets elsewhere. As of now, if Georgia strikes out on all three QBs, they’ll be stuck chasing mid-tier 3-stars in 2026. And when a quarterback isn’t the crown jewel, the whole class can collapse—setting up a nightmare scenario for Kirby Smart’s worst recruiting haul yet.