Five Questions: The Offense

Nine months removed from its best season in 15 years, the 2026 Georgetown Hoyas should have a sense of momentum about it, having won a total of 16 games since 2023, the most in a three season run in 27 years. 

It doesn't seem that  way, and with good reason: the loss of 30 players to graduation and a half-dozen to the transfer portal, the arrival of Villanova and William & Mary to the  Patriot League, and a schedule that leaves nothing to chance, all seem to be land mines on the 2026 calendar for a Georgetown team which lacks the depth of its Patriot League brethren. 

Depth, or lack of it, is most visible on an offense that finished sixth of eight teams in the PL, but lost eight starters. That depth forms the basis for five questions heading into the season:

1. How Will A New Offensive Coordinator Meet The Challenge? Jack McDaniels takes over as offensive coordinator, just the third OC in the Rob Sgarlata era and is only third OC since 2003 who takes over the job without prior experience as a coordinator.

The career outlook for McDaniels is a bright one, and his succession of the retired Rob Spence brings both a sense of innovation as well as his awareness of the Georgetown system, having served as an assistant offensive coach for three seasons from 2022 through 2024 before a season at Central Michigan. 

For his part, Spence was best suited to the pass as reflected from his days working as the OC at Clemson under Terry Bowden from 2005-2008, but the Georgetown rushing game in 2025 exceeded expectations and allowed the Hoyas to remain in contention, at least until the all too familiar end-of-season slump sent their 5-3 midseason record into a tailspin. Still, the Hoyas led all PL teams in time of possession, and that may be a difficult number to repeat given the new names (and new games) which await. 

McDaniels is well suited to the two ingredients most needed for an OC this season: adjust and adapt. Some former OC's were slow in adjustments (Elliot Uzelac, for those that remember, or Jim Miceli, another) and that can only come with experience. The longer term changes, or adapting to the new PL, is a task he will address, and ride with it. Unlike seasons where Georgetown started off strong against the likes of a Davidson, Wagner, or Marist and then struggled to the finish, the Hoyas figure to be down early, with Lafayette, Lehigh, and Richmond forming the first three weeks of competition-- three teams that defeated the Hoyas last season. Adapting will be critical as the Hoyas face a grim October and November where four of its final five will be on the road, and provide the means to end the season with more than they entered with.

The first two games should provide a window into McDaniels' strategy for the season to come.

2. How Inexperienced Is The Offensive Line? Very.

Mosiah Talanoa returns for his fourth season having played in all 12 games last season. The remainder of the line must be rebuilt, having lost graduating seniors Trevor Swan, Josh Sauickie, Losini Maka, and Kaysen Mahuka-Kaawa. Even that experience wasn't enough to keep the Hoyas' quarterbacks safe (Georgetown was last in the PL in yardage lost to sacks, with 30 sacks and 201 yards lost over seven games), so McDaniels must seek to build a line over the next few weeks.

Only one returnee, second string guard Tyler Barrett, played in more than three games last year, so it's a group effort seeking to win the job. An army moves on its stomach, an offense moves on its line and this figures to be a group with a lot of changes early in the season. Juniors Rylan Filipe and Case Pickelman, and sophomore William Evans finished the season in the two-deep but played relatively little behind the nearly all-senior line in 2025. Their ability to come together as a team against veteran defensive outfits at Lafayette and Lehigh will be evident at the start, and with 19 offensive lineman on the roster, there's a lot of competition that won't necessarily end in late August.

3. Who Leads As Quarterback? Going back the last 15 years or so, Georgetown has followed a tried and true approach: it names a starting quarterback and unless injuries get in the way, more often than not it runs that quarterback to the end of the season. There have been exceptions (Clay Norris was benched for Gunther Johnson in 2017, for one) but these are outliers. 

The portal departures of Syracuse-bound Danny Lauter and Prairie View A&M newcomer Dez Thomas leave Georgetown without an true incumbent QB since Norris was named to the starting lineup in 2016.  Just two backups have any prior experience, and both on a very limited basis: senior Jacob Holtzschlag passed for 337 yards as a backup to Lauter as a sophomore in 2024 but no time at QB a year later. Junior Jack Johnson passed for 152 yards over the final four games of 2025. As with many of their predecessors, Georgetown has long favored drop-back passers and without a strong offensive line to protect them, that's a warning for both men.

Sophomore Aiden Krause has not cracked the lineup and 2026 may be his make or break year, with freshman Gavin Beard looking to move into contention. Beard threw for 2,629 yards, 36 touchdowns, and only five interceptions in 2024, and led Ft. Worth All Saints to an undefeared 14-0 record in 2025.

The final decision, though, rests on what kind of offense McDaniels aims to execute, and which man fits the bill. It's possible that as many as three of these QB's will rotate through the lineup in 2026, but it's dependent on how quickly the offense comes together. Georgetown last played three quarterbacks in 2017, losing 10 straight to end the season, so stability is vital.

4. Is There A Running Game? Georgetown has never been much of a running team, but Savion Hart's 852 yards in 2025 was sixth best for a runner in school history, and his 10 rushing touchdowns was fifth best all-time for a Georgetown back. Thanks to the portal, Hart will play at Georgia State this fall, but Georgetown does have a number of options to build back in 2026.

Junior Jayden Sumpter finished second on the team in rushing last fall with 352 yards, with a season's best 65 yards versus Morgan State. If Georgetown runs a one-back set, he figures to get his share of carries, along with returning senior Bryce Cox, who was injured mid-season but led the Hoyas in rushing in 2024.  Senior Udechukwu Enyerlbe saw action in 10 games in backup roles last season and could be a wide option if the play calls favor it. Junior transfer Clay Ash was well regarded for his efforts as a two year walk-on at West Virginia and rushed for over 2,000 yards as a senior in high school, so the potential is there at Georgetown.

Contrary to what you see in the Big 10 and SEC, the Patriot League still values the run. The Hoyas' first two opponents of 2026 each averaged more than 200 yards per game on the ground and ranked among the top 15 teams nationally in the category. Villanova (175.4 yards/game) and William & Mary (152.2 ypg) will also challenge on the ground this season, and it's dependent on the Hoyas to establish a ground game to prevent defenses from sitting back and daring a pair of inexperienced QB's in the passing game.  Rushing drives time of possession, where Georgetown's average of 31:21 was 21st best nationally in 2025.

If each can stay healthy, Cox and Ash form a interesting pair of options for the Hoyas in ground sets.

5. Who Is the Next Impact Receiver?  Since 2021, two men have owned the Georgetown receiver stats: Joshua Tomas (2021-2022) and Jimmy Kibble (2023-2025). Kibble's graduation opens up opportunities for two returnees to take over the mantle.

Senior Hassan Mahasin was second to Kibble in receiving yards in his first season at Georgetown, with 295 yards receiving and two touchdowns in a 2025 season dominated by Kibble. Mahasin took over the role that senior Nicholas Dunneman held in 2024, where he was third to Kibble with 447 yards and four touchdowns, but was limited by injuries in 2025. Beyond Mahasin, Dunneman,  and TE Isaiah Grimes (22-195-3 TD), no returning receiver had more than four catches all last season.

Mahasin and Dunneman are similarly sized at around 5-11 and played complementary roles over the past two seasons. The WR group for 2026 is very inexperienced and the Hoyas need a third option to provide options, but will rely on these two to carry the passing game. Injuries to one or both could be more than the Hoyas can absorb, however. In a preseason of question marks on offense, Georgetown needs a go-to receiver early and often this season, and one of these two must step forward.

Five questions, and no easy answers for a new coordinator.

Coming next Friday: five questions for the defense.