Kirby Smart Eyes Another Late Offensive Move After Georgia Adds New Transfer QB

Georgia may have secured a new QB from the transfer portal. But that doesn’t mean Kirby Smart is done reshaping the offense. The Bulldogs may technically be “full” at wide receiver, but when there’s an elite receiver who could become available, it’s too big an opportunity to pass. There is growing buzz around Ole Miss WR Cayden Lee and his potential availability, as Matt Zenitz reported. When a player of his caliber signals flexibility, it usually reflects internal thinking.

“We mentioned this in the Transfer Portal Tracker a while back,” Georgia insider Radi Nabulsi wrote on X on January 16. “Georgia is full at wideout but for a guy like this, you make exceptions.”

Georgia’s urgency is rooted in attrition. London Humphreys is the leading returning receiver in terms of production. Dillon Bell, Zachariah Branch, Colbie Young, and Noah Thomas are all headed to the NFL. The Bulldogs still believe in its 2026 WR class, and Sacovie White-Helton is expected to take on a larger role, but young talent does not replace veteran reliability overnight.

Kirby Smart has already addressed part of the problem by adding Isiah Canion from Georgia Tech. He is expected to line up at X receiver alongside CJ Wiley, giving Georgia a defined outside presence. That move stabilizes one spot, but it does not erase the need for experience across the room. If the Bulldogs make another addition, it would likely be at a different receiver position, one where route discipline, coverage recognition, and situational awareness matter most.

That is where Cayden Lee enters the conversation. According to a source who spoke to CBS Sports, the Ole Miss WR is considered likely to enter the transfer portal just days after the program’s confidence centered on his return. He was not among the underclassmen declaring early for the NFL Draft, and he was viewed internally as the leader of the Rebels’ receiver group. But that assumption unraveled quickly.

The backdrop to Cayden Lee’s situation is QB uncertainty at Ole Miss. Trinidad Chambliss is fighting for an additional year of eligibility in 2026 after the NCAA denied his waiver request on January 9. The Rebels QB filed a lawsuit on January 16 seeking a preliminary injunction that would allow him to play while the case proceeds. Message board chatter suggests Lee’s portal move is insurance tied to that outcome, with a potential return to Oxford if the QB is cleared. Kirby Smart, however, could exploit this moment of uncertainty before it resolves.

From a production standpoint, Cayden Lee is exactly the type of exception Georgia historically makes. Over the last two seasons, he has recorded 101 receptions for 1,509 yards and five touchdowns. He enters 2025 on the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list and has been named preseason All-SEC third team by multiple outlets. That is proven SEC output. His background adds another layer, something Kirby Smart highly values.

A Kennesaw, Georgia native, he was a 4-star recruit out of Kennesaw Mountain High School, ranked as the No. 36 WR nationally and the No. 26 player in the state. His junior year featured 1,014 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 54 catches, leading Georgia’s highest classification in both categories. He chose Ole Miss over Georgia and several national programs, then worked his way into relevance in a crowded receiver room. This season, he has remained central to the Rebels’ offense. That certainty matters even more now, given the Dawgs’ evolving QB situation.

Kirby Smart adds new transfer QB

Georgia’s QB board did not go as planned in the 2026 recruiting cycle. The Bulldogs pursued multiple passers but ultimately came up empty when 5-Star Plus+ QB Jared Curtis flipped to Vanderbilt before National Signing Day. A month later, Kirby Smart adjusted.

Oregon 2026 signee Bryson Beaver committed to the Bulldogs, per Rivals. He has already enrolled in Athens, classified as a short-term signee with full freshman eligibility. Ranked as the No. 11 QB in the 2026 Rivals300, he threw for more than 8,200 yards and 81 touchdowns in high school, rising sharply after the Elite 11 Finals. The Ducks’ QB room shifted when Dante Moore returned and Dylan Raiola arrived, opening the door for Georgia to act.

Bryson Beaver now joins a room led by Gunner Stockton, coming off a redshirt sophomore season with 24 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a seventh-place Heisman finish. His NFL outlook looms large if he delivers again in 2026. That reality makes surrounding him with experienced receivers a necessity. And that is why Georgia’s “full” wide receiver room may pursue one more body.

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