Georgia may have a new QB from the transfer portal, but Kirby Smart isn’t done reshaping the offense. The Bulldogs are “full” at the wide receiver position, but when a player with Cayden Lee’s potential becomes available, it’s a missed opportunity. Rumors reported by Matt Zenitz suggest Lee’s openness to transferring reflects a strategic shift within the Georgia program.

“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.”

According to a source who spoke to CBS Sports, the Ole Miss WR is likely to join the transfer portal just days after the program seemed confident he would 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 precisely 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 a proven SEC output. His background adds another layer, something Kirby Smart highly values. 

A Kennesaw native, Lee was a highly-touted 4-star recruit who initially slipped through Georgia’s fingers. Still, his proven production in the SEC (racking up over 1,500 yards in two seasons) makes him precisely the kind of veteran weapon the Bulldogs now need.

He chose Ole Miss over Georgia and several national programs, then carved out a role 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 and is classified as a late enrollee 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.

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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 23 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a seventh-place Heisman finish. His NFL outlook looms large if he delivers again in 2026.

That reality makes it necessary to surround him with experienced receivers. And that is why Georgia’s “full” wide receiver room may pursue one more body.