The Georgia Bulldogs have consistently excelled at developing talent on their defensive line, but they won’t have the opportunity to work with one of the top prospects from the transfer portal. Georgia was among four teams heavily pursuing Syracuse Orange defensive lineman Maraad Watson, who entered the portal after a standout freshman season as an All-American in 2024.
However, rather than join Georgia’s impressive track record for defensive line development, Watson has decided to transfer to the Texas Longhorns, the team that the Bulldogs defeated in last year’s SEC championship game. According to Hayes Fawcett of On3, this decision means Georgia will now have to prepare to face a player who showed significant potential as a run defender in 2024, making 13 crucial run stops that hindered offenses, according to Pro Football Focus.
BREAKING: Syracuse standout transfer DL Maraad Watson has Committed to Texas, @on3sports has learned
Totaled 31 Tackles and 1 Sack last season
Was one of the Top Available DL in the Portalhttps://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/aOXqEWe0V6
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 22, 2025
Georgia will meet Texas in their last in-conference matchup of the 2025 regular season in Athens on November 15. Last year, the Bulldogs defeated Texas 30-15 in Austin during the regular season and then narrowly won 22-19 in the SEC championship game. Despite these victories, Watson has chosen Texas as the program he believes will best aid his development after his strong performance in the ACC. Georgia will aim to prove him wrong when they face off against him in November.
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