A UGASports conversation with Jake Fromm

Since he took the final snap of a celebrated college career more than six years ago in a win over Baylor in the 2020 Sugar Bowl, Jake Fromm has maintained a close relationship with the Georgia football program. In just the last year, following a five-year stint in the NFL with four different teams, Fromm has returned to Athens, where his work includes analyzing Georgia football games and an association with premium technical fan gear that sports the “G.”

UGASports recently sat down with Fromm in downtown Athens to see what he’s up to, ask about the possibility of him returning to play football, and get his post-spring opinion on the Georgia offense as the 2026 season fast approaches.

UGASports: Jake, what are you up to nowadays? Tell us about your family. And what are you doing professionally now that you’re no longer in the NFL?

Fromm: “My wife, Caroline, and I live in the Athens area with our two boys. Luke recently turned two years old, and Colt is a little more than five months old. I work in commercial insurance as a broker for Sterling Seacrest Pritchard. Our main office is in Atlanta. I’ve teamed up with a partner, Keith Titshaw, and we’re opening up an office here in Athens. I’m also doing some analyst work on TV. And I recently started working with BCKR (pronounced backer).”

UGASports: You were still in the league with the Lions just a year ago before getting released. And you showed up at Georgia’s Pro Day in March and threw to receivers. Any chance you still might play football professionally?

Fromm: “Not unless I got a deal of the century that would be too irresponsible to pass up… (laughing). For me, football is done. I will say, though, do I still ‘have it’? Yes, I think so. My body still feels great. Honestly, I feel more athletic and better geared up to play ball now than I probably ever have. But now, I have kids, responsibilities, and it was time to go another route professionally.”

UGASports: Why did you throw at Pro Day?

Fromm: “It was random. Apparently, some of the quarterbacks, or the guys who would have thrown, had a class that morning. The team needed an extra arm, knew I lived in the area, and reached out. I had a great time. It was a lot of fun, even though it was the first time I had thrown to a moving target in about eight months.”

UGASports: Tell us about your work as an analyst. And is that something you see yourself pursuing for a career?

Fromm: “Last year, I was part of pre-game and post-game Georgia football shows for Atlanta News First. It was a fun and exciting experience. I’m fortunate to be doing it again this season. As far as being a TV analyst as a career, it’s not something I’m directly pursuing right now. I love Georgia football, and doing that kind of work helps me stay involved with the program to some extent. I really enjoy it, and want to get better at it. And maybe working as an analyst [in a bigger capacity] is a possibility in the future.”

UGASports: Tell us about your involvement with BCKR. (And give the company a plug.)

Fromm: “I absolutely love hunting and fishing—the outdoor industry. And I obviously love the Bulldogs. So, when I was approached by BCKR, I was drawn to their premium jackets and hats that blend the outdoor industry with Georgia (the official ‘G’ logo appears on BCKR products). Basically, it’s high-end, quality products with the Georgia ‘G’—a premium brand. We have a particular ‘Cool One’ jacket I’ll spotlight. I absolutely love it. It’s my go-to on the golf course. You can wear it in 50-degree weather, 95-degree heat, whatever. That jacket not only fits great and feels great—and it’s hard to find both of those in a similar styled men’s jacket—but you literally cool off while wearing it.”

UGASports: Putting on your analyst hat, and now focusing on Georgia in 2026, particularly the offense… How do you feel about the Bulldogs’ offense heading into the season?

Fromm: “First off, I think it’s a big deal to have two experienced guys returning, like Gunner [Stockton] and Nate [Frazier], your No. 1 quarterback and No. 1 running back. In today’s college football, top players leave their original teams all the time because of NIL and the transfer portal. But, at Georgia, particularly on offense, we kept the core group of guys we needed to. Also, I’m especially intrigued to see how the offense uses the wide receivers at the beginning of the season without Zachariah Branch. It’ll be interesting to see who is going to be that explosive playmaker and difference maker for us on this year’s offense.”

UGASports: What can the Georgia offense improve upon the most this season?

Fromm: “Producing explosive plays—and we’ve heard Kirby [Smart] talk a lot about being more explosive on offense this season. I think Coach [Mike] Bobo (offensive coordinator) continues to do a fantastic job. His offense scores a ton of points, and gives the defense plenty of breathing room. But Georgia’s explosive plays have been down. Coach Bobo and the offense need to figure out who their playmakers are early on—and then have Gunner get them the ball.”

UGASports: What makes Gunner Stockton a special quarterback?

Fromm: “Well, from what you see on the field. He plays the position in a very tough and physical manner. He is one of the best at extending plays. I think there’s a very high ceiling for Gunner. I can totally see him taking his play up a notch this season—and this is after a season when he finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting! But, off the field, what makes Gunner a special person—and this is why so many people love Gunner—is that Heisman finishes, All-SEC honors, etc., none of that matters to Gunner in the least. For him, he’s all about the team, and doesn’t care about any of the individual accolades.”

UGASports: What can Gunner improve upon the most as he approaches the start of the 2026 season?

Fromm: “As a quarterback, I think leadership and command are always things you can work on and improve. For Gunner, because he does such a good job of extending plays, getting out of the pocket, it’s always a good thing to work on leadership and command—working on delivering balls from the pocket, command from the pocket, command of the football. During the spring, I think Gunner had to focus more on things like that than before because he dealt with a slight knee injury and had to wear a sleeve on it. So, in a weird way, the knee issue was a good thing for him because he was able to improve upon other aspects of his game.”

UGASports: You mentioned that Georgia needs to figure out its playmakers. Who do you see being a playmaker this season for the Bulldogs?

Fromm: “Even going back to when I played, it seems like year in and year out at Georgia, we’re always talking about the receivers group, and the great things they’re capable of. And this very young, but very talented group is definitely no different. I think the ‘playmaker’ role is up for grabs. Talyn Taylor is just a redshirt freshman, but he’s an incredible talent. Watch out for slot receiver Sacovie White-Helton, an unbelievable athlete. And, don’t forget those tight ends: Lawson Luckie, Elyiss Williams, Ethan Barbour, Jaden Redell, and more. I doubt there’s a better tight ends room in the country. And some of those guys are just getting better and better as they improve as both an inline blocker and receiver.”

UGASports: It’s been seven years—not since you played at Georgia—that a Bulldog back rushed for 1,000 yards in a year (D’Andre Swift in 2019). Can Nate Frazier reach that milestone this season?

Fromm: “No doubt. I think Nate can be a star this season. In just his second year last season, you could tell he was a big part of the leadership of the team. I think a lot of guys gravitated towards him for leadership and, quite frankly, to make a play on offense. He’s an extremely strong, every-down back who can do a lot of things coming out of the backfield.”

UGASports: What strikes you most about Georgia’s offensive line entering the season?

Fromm: “It’s deep! There are a lot of talented guys. I believe something that gets lost a little in today’s college football is the fact that, because of NIL, the transfer portal, it’s getting more and more difficult to keep guys on your roster—and build depth. Yet, here, we find that Georgia’s offensive line in 2026 is just that: a ton of depth. Again, Georgia has convinced its guys to stay. In this case, it’s paid off with an offensive line that goes deep. You’ve seen Kirby, he wants to rotate the offensive line to a certain degree, get guys in there who are fresh, and find the best group that helps the team.

“Those two guys on the right side, Dontrell Glover at guard and Juan Gaston at tackle, really stand out. I also like the fact that they now have Phil Rauscher coaching the offensive line, but [former offensive line coach] Stacey Searles is still serving a role as an analyst. This way, there’s a different perspective with maybe some more sophistication coming from the NFL [with Rauscher], yet there’s comfort in a long-time coach, Searles, still being in the [offensive line] room. Of all the position units for Georgia, I see this unit playing the biggest role in terms of how successful the team is this season.”

UGASports: Running/engineering a standard college offense, what’s a significant change you’ve seen for quarterbacks nowadays compared to when you played at Georgia?

Fromm: “Something that has stood out to me in recent years is that it seems offensive play, offensive scheme is getting simpler, easier to comprehend for players. And I think it’s because these teams are getting in more transfers—and you have to get everyone ready to play. I think the offensive schemes are becoming simpler, so everyone will clearly understand without delay.  But that’s not necessarily a bad thing because the most important thing is getting all 11 guys on the same page. And sometimes simpler is better.”

UGASports: Finally, as someone who guided a team to the national championship game as a true freshman, you certainly know a thing or two about dealing with extreme, lofty expectations as a Georgia quarterback. With that being said, and considering he is likely dealing with something similar as his final season at Georgia looms, what advice would you give Gunner entering the 2026 season?

Fromm: “His teammates are going to be looking for him to be the guy to make plays—and probably even more so than before. But nobody’s going to put more pressure on themselves than Gunner himself—much like I did, or a lot of Georgia’s quarterbacks under Kirby. Most of us placed more pressure on ourselves than anyone else. So, from himself and others, and although he’s really good about blocking out the outside noise, Gunner is probably feeling some pressure right now.

“My advice would be that in order for the offense to succeed in 2026, it’s something that he doesn’t have to pursue all by himself. He’s never alone. To run the Georgia offense effectively, it truly takes a collective, 11-man unit. And, because Georgia rotates so much, it’s actually more like a 20-to-30-man unit. Gunner can’t do it by himself—no individual can. In the end, it takes a total team effort for the Georgia offense to be successful.”