When Isiah Canion entered the transfer portal this offseason, one program stood out the most.
It was Georgia.
The Bulldogs didn’t recruit Canion out of high school, leading the former four-star prospect to sign with rival Georgia Tech. He spent the past two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, recording 39 catches for 563 yards and four touchdowns before entering the portal and ultimately signing with Georgia.
It was a no-brainer for the Warner Robins native, who said the Bulldogs “checked all the boxes” he was looking for.
“Honestly, they just checked all the boxes. Everybody knows what kind of program we have here,” Canion told reporters on Wednesday, Aug. 25. “Great coaches, great competition. They’re known for developing players, and they checked all my boxes as well. I decided to come here.”
Canion said his family in Houston County were Georgia fans, so the decision was easy to make.
“I grew up watching (the Bulldogs),” Canion said. “My family are Georgia fans. So, yeah, for sure, I was excited when they hit me up.”
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is also happy to have Canion on the roster.
“He’s come in and blended really well. I think he was comfortable in the room because of the players on the team and having guys he played high school with and played against all his life,” Smart said. “Just the general Georgia consensus of being a Georgia player, he’s been around it. He’s worked really hard. He’s relatively quiet, but he plays physical. He plays hard. He plays tough.
“He’s not afraid to go down and make hard blocks and dig people out, but he’s also got speed and athleticism to be a weapon on the perimeter. He’s had a really good, quiet camp. I’m very pleased with what he’s brought to our team. Great kid.”
Familiarity with the program
When Canion arrived in Athens last December, there were a few familiar faces around the facility.
Canion was happy to reunite with former Warner Robins teammates Isaiah Gibson and Rasean Dinkins. He’s known the tandem since they were little and is excited to be playing with them again.
“Being reunited with Dink and Isaiah, they’re like family — we grew up playing together since we were yay big,” Canion said. “We played AAU basketball and travel football. So it’s just like having two brothers on the team, for sure.”
Canion admitted, though, that he didn’t solely choose Georgia because of them. There were other reasons.
“I mean, yeah, I talked to them, and I knew it would be nice to play with them again coming up, but I didn’t base my whole decision off that,” Canion said. “It was a factor, but not really.”
Canion was also familiar with Georgia running backs coach Josh Crawford, who recruited him to Georgia Tech.
“I knew Coach Crawford out of high school,” Canion said. “He recruited me to go to Tech. He ended up coming here, so he was a very familiar face. We had a lot of dialogue, and obviously, it worked out.”
Isiah Canion (center) with former Warner Robins High School teammates Rasean Dinkins (left) and Isaiah Gibson (right) after the Georgia-Georgia Tech game on Nov. 28, 2025. (Photo from Lance McCurley)
Transitioning to life in Athens
The biggest adjustment for Canion has been transitioning from life in a big city like Atlanta to living in a smaller city such as Athens.
Still, Canion said Athens reminded him of home.
“Honestly, the transition from moving out of the city,” Canion said. “That was a big thing. It took a while to get back used to it. Athens is a lot like my hometown, so it took a minute to get back acclimated to being outside the city.”
Even though Canion played on the other side of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate the past two seasons, he was welcomed with “open arms” by his new teammates. Their kindness helped make the transition easier for him.
“I mean, they welcomed me with open arms,” Canion said. “They made the transition easy. And I knew a lot of the guys. A lot of the guys are Georgia guys, so I knew them before I got here. So it was pretty much easy to get acclimated to the locker room and all that.”
Another key factor in Canion’s transition to Georgia has been his relationship with wide receivers coach James Coley. The two have developed a strong bond during Canion’s first eight months in Athens.
“Coley is a great coach. I admire him,” the 6-foot-4 receiver said. “He’s a good leader. Just technique, scheme, coverages, anything like that, he’s helped me. I’ve learned a lot about coverages since I’ve been here, ’cause our defense runs so many coverages. I’d probably say that’s the biggest piece.”
A veteran presence in a young receiver room
Canion joined a young Georgia wide receiver room after the Bulldogs lost Zachariah Branch, Dillon Bell, Colbie Young and Noah Thomas to the NFL.
There are a few familiar faces, including London Humphreys and Sacovie-White Helton, but most of the room is made up of first- or second-year players. Still, Canion is confident in the unit’s ability to produce despite questions surrounding its lack of experience and proven production.
“I don’t read much into it,” Canion said. “I just know that we’ve got a good group, a close-knit group. I have a very tight relationship with all the guys. And they’re young, but they’re hungry to show they can make plays and help the team win, and whatever other ways we need to be.”
Being one of the older guys in the room doesn’t bother Canion, either. He’s also excited to see what some of the younger receivers such as Talyn Taylor, C.J. Wiley and Craig Dandridge, among others, can do.
“It was definitely an adjustment coming in, being one of the older guys, ’cause at my previous stop, they were older, much older in their receiver room,” Canion said. “So with me coming here, I had to feel like I was pushed outside my comfort zone to be a leader, kind of help bring the guys along in whatever ways I could. And I’m very excited about the young guys, honestly. They’re coming a long way, and I’m just very happy to see them develop and get better day by day.”
Canion is also happy to be working with quarterback Gunner Stockton. He has a lot of confidence in him.
“I’m very comfortable. I’m very happy with Gunner,” Canion said. “I’m happy to be here, happy he’s my quarterback. He’s a vet. He’s very tough. He’s a competitor. I’m very excited for how we get rolling with him. When we get rolling, I’m very excited for how the year’s gonna go.”
But Canion’s transition to Georgia hasn’t just been about building relationships with his new teammates. He’s also been able to test himself against one of the best defensive backs in the country in Ellis Robinson.
“All our DBs are good, but Ellis, like you said, he’s a good DB,” Canion said. “Iron sharpens iron. And every time I line up against him, I’m getting a game rep. So just showing up and playing against a good corner like that every day, you do get better, for sure.”
Those daily battles have also helped Canion settle into his new surroundings. Going against Robinson and the rest of Georgia’s talented secondary has provided Canion with valuable reps as he prepares for his first season with the Bulldogs.
