BREAKING STORY: Georgia Bulldogs Stun College Football World—NFL Star and Bulldogs Legend Champ Bailey Returns as Associate Head Coach as Kirby Smart Builds Portal-Driven Powerhouse for 2025-26
Athens, GA — June 8, 2025
In a seismic move that has shaken the foundation of college football, the University of Georgia has announced that NFL Hall of Famer and Bulldogs legend Champ Bailey will return to Athens as the new Associate Head Coach under Kirby Smart.
The announcement came early this morning in a surprise press conference at the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. In front of a packed room of stunned reporters and roaring fans, Bailey stepped to the podium in a crisp red blazer emblazoned with the classic Georgia “G”, his signature calm intensity radiating as he declared:
> “I’m home. And we’re about to take Georgia football to a level no one’s ever seen before.”
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The Return of a Legend
Champ Bailey, one of the most dynamic players in Georgia history and a Pro Football Hall of Famer, played for the Bulldogs from 1996 to 1998. During his college career, he became famous for playing offense, defense, and special teams—all in a single game—before going on to dominate as a shutdown cornerback in the NFL with the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins.
Bailey had largely stayed away from the college coaching spotlight—until now.
Sources close to the program reveal that Bailey had been in quiet talks with Smart for months, with Smart personally lobbying for his return. The move is seen as both a symbolic homecoming and a strategic masterstroke, adding elite NFL experience to a program already swimming in talent.
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Kirby Smart’s Portal-Driven Dynasty
Bailey’s return comes as Kirby Smart unveils a bold new vision for Georgia Football: a transfer portal-centric powerhouse.
Following back-to-back SEC Championship appearances and a national title runner-up finish in 2024, Smart has fully embraced the chaos—and opportunity—of the NCAA Transfer Portal. Nicknamed “The Portal King” by insiders, Smart has brought in an unprecedented 13 four- and five-star transfers for the upcoming season.
Among the portal headliners:
Dorian “Flash” White, All-American WR from USC
Tyrese Hamilton, lockdown CB from Florida State
Luca Moretti, dual-threat QB phenom from Oregon
Kaleb Owens, SEC-leading pass rusher from LSU
