Seven Georgia Bulldogs Earn Preseason All-America Honors
Just like preseason rankings, preseason All-America lists don’t hold much weight once the actual football season begins. Yet, those lists are typically a good indicator of which programs have the most talent in college football heading into the year.
Despite entering the 2025 season with the notion that the roster isn’t as loaded with headline talent, Georgia‘s squad is still among the best in the nation. In fact, seven Bulldogs were named to one of Phil Steele’s four All-America teams.
Steele’s First Team All-America
CB: Daylen Everette
The former four-star by way of IMG Academy was one of Georgia’s most significant returns this offseason. He decided to hold off on entering the NFL and instead return to Athens for his senior season.
He started in all 14 games for Georgia last season as its top outside corner. Even while the Bulldogs made the midseason change from Julian Humphrey to Daniel Harris as his opposite, Everette remained ever-present. He tallied 58 tackles, two for a loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, three interceptions, and three passes defended.
All three of his interceptions came against Texas. Two of which came in the SEC Championship, helping him win the game’s MVP award.
P: Brett Thorson
Even as he is coming off a torn ACL, which he suffered in the aforementioned SEC Championship, Thorson is still seen as one of college football’s punters. He was a second-team All-American, third-team All-SEC, and a finalist for the Ray Guy Award last season.
He punted 42 times last season, averaging 47.6 yards per punt, a career-high. He tallied 1,998 yards in total punting as a junior.
Steele’s Second-Team All-America
LB: CJ Allen
Following the transfer of Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Allen became the full-time starter at inside linebacker. While his running mate, Smael Mondon, was in and out of the lineup with injuries during the season, Allen played in every game. He finished second on the team in tackles with 76, three for a loss, with one interception and three passes defended.
As he heads into his junior season, Allen is already garnering first-round hype for the 2026 NFL Draft.
LS: Beau Gardner
After transferring to Georgia last offseason from UCLA, it didn’t take long for Gardner to receive recognition in the SEC. Starting as Georgia’s long snapper in every game, he was on the coach’s first-team All-SEC for his contributions to the Bulldogs’ special teams.
Steele’s Third-Team All-America
DT: Christen Miller
An early-season injury to Warren Brinson forced Miller to emerge as a significant contributor on the interior defensive line. He started in 10 of his 12 appearances last season, often playing alongside Nazir Stackhouse and even Brinson.
He finished with 27 tackles, four for a loss, and 1.5 sacks last season. Now, as a junior, he will look to be a frontline starter for Georgia’s defensive line that lost Stackhouse, Brinson, Mykel Williams, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins to the NFL.
S: KJ Bolden
Even with veteran safeties like Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson playing ahead of him, Bolden managed to find plenty of playing time as a true freshman. His emergence, combined with an injury to Joenel Aguero, forced Starks to play more at STAR, while Bolden and Jackson played over the top at safety.
He was a first-team member of the SEC All-Freshman team, as he tallied 59 tackles, two for a loss, one sack, and one interception. Now, with both Starks and Jackson gone, Bolden will be the elder statesman in the safety room, despite being a sophomore.
Steele’s Fourth-Team All-America
The lone Bulldog on the fourth team is Georgia’s placekicker. As a sophomore, Peyton Woodring came up big for Georgia, making 21 of his 23 field goals and all of his extra points.
He was first-team All-SEC and excelled for the Bulldogs in both matchups versus Texas, making all six field goal attempts against the Longhorns. Only he and running back Trevor Etienne managed to score points in two matchups with Texas.