Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs could be staring at the same wide receiver problem all over again. Within six days of losing to Ole Miss in the first round of the playoffs, the Bulldogs saw reliable hands like Oscar Delp (TE), Zachariah Branch, and Dillon Bell walk away. The sudden WR exodus has pushed Smart to aggressively pursue what could be the SEC’s best deep-threat replacement.

On January 5, Georgia’s WR1 Zachariah Branch officially declared his pursuit of the NFL dream. The 5’11 wideout ended the season with nearly 811 yards, six touchdowns, and a record-breaking 81 receptions, surpassing the record set by Brice Hunter in 1993.

To replace Branch and shore up the receiving corps, Kirby Smart is targeting an old-school style receiver in Vanderbilt’s Tre Richardson, according to On3.

The good news for the Bulldogs: Richardson has an official visit scheduled in Athens today.

Richardson’s football journey is one of those grind-it-out stories. He started playing ball at the junior college level (Hutchinson Community College), moved to D2 (Washburn University), and worked his way all the way to the SEC.

The former Vandy WR snagged 46 passes for over 800 yards and seven touchdowns. Throughout his career, he’s racked up a ton of all-purpose yards and earned significant recognition as a top-tier return specialist.

If you really break it down, Richardson’s a clone of Zachariah Branch with potentially higher upside. The similarities are obvious: both are roughly the same size (5’10-ish) and possess that electric, game-breaking speed, as evidenced by their 100-meter dash times of 10.33 seconds.

They’re the classic “space weapon” guys you want with the ball in their hands, and both are great at returning kicks and punts.

The biggest difference? Opportunity.

Zachariah was involved in Georgia’s offense far more than Tre Richardson was at Vanderbilt. The reception totals speak for themselves: Zachariah Branch (81), Tre Richardson (42). Almost double.

In theory, if you put Tre Richardson in Zachariah Branch’s shoes, there’s no reason he shouldn’t challenge Branch’s 81-reception mark, push for 1,000 yards, or even touch double-digit touchdowns next season.

He has collected wide-receiver awards or honors at every pit stop leading up to Vanderbilt: first-team NJCAA All-American as a return specialist (2023) and first-team All-MIAA at wide receiver (2024).

Even Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea needed only one week of camp to see it.

“At this point, the sky is the limit on that. He’s made plays in practice. He’s outrun angles. His speed shows up. He’s got a good catch radius and I think a natural catching ability. There’s a lot to like about that,” said Lea.

The only real downside for Georgia? Competition. Every S-class heavy-hitter wants a piece of him. Schools like Ohio State, Texas, and even Auburn are hell-bent on landing him, which shouldn’t come as any surprise. Now it’s up to Kirby Smart and wide receivers coach James Coley to make the most of his visit.

But landing a player of Richardson’s caliber is a fierce competition, and Kirby Smart isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket. The Bulldogs have a comprehensive plan to overhaul their receiver room, targeting several other high-impact players in the transfer portal, just like Ohio State does.

The team consistently delivers fresh faces to Ohio State and develops high-end talent with NFL-caliber training. They created a factory of talents and replaced stars like Olave, Wilson, and Harrison Jr. with top stars like Egbuka and Smith-Njigba.

That being said, he isn’t the only wideout the Bulldogs are targeting.

Georgia Bulldogs’ portal wideouts targets

The Bulldogs remain focused on a select few individuals. While Richardson is a top prize, Georgia’s search is wide-ranging. They’re courting UCLA’s leading receiver, Kwazi Gilmer, and NC State’s Terrell Anderson, a contested-catch specialist they coveted out of high school.

The net is also cast towards former five-star Jaylen Mbakwe from rival Alabama, with local Georgia Tech product Isiah Canion also in the mix.

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The recruiting doesn’t stop there.

The Bulldogs are also making a strong push for Isiah Canion from Georgia Tech, a local kid with plenty of experience. Jayce Brown, a highly rated four-star prospect from Kansas State, is also scheduled to visit the school. Plus, they expect a visit from Jeremy Scott out of South Alabama, a tall receiver who can stretch the field.

Essentially, Georgia is extremely serious about finding 2-3 impact players to fill those big shoes from Day 1.

With five of their top six pass-catchers gone, landing a few of these portal wideouts isn’t just a priority; it’s essential for Georgia’s national title aspirations next season.