There are two separate scoreboards in Athens, Georgia. One hangs in Sanford Stadium and tracks down touchdowns and field goals on any given Saturday between the hedges. And the other exists in arrest logs, incident reports, and the tired press conference sighs of head football coach Kirby Smart.

The Georgia Bulldogs are dominant in the first one. On the second one, however, they are getting blown out. The rivalry between UGA football and Georgia State law enforcement, specifically the Georgia State Patrol and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, is not the one Bulldog fans want to discuss.

But the numbers demand it, and this past weekend, the rivalry added its most theatrical entry yet.Georgia football in the last 3 years Arrests: 30Draft picks: 31— CFBTalkDaily (@CFBTalkDaily) April 19, 2026The latest: Zachariah BranchBranch had just completed the best season of his college career with 81 receptions (UGA school record), 811 receiving yards, six touchdowns. After transferring from USC, Branch made himself a Day 2 NFL Draft prospect in one single season.BREAKING: Georgia WR Zachariah Branch, who’s projected as a second or third-round pick, was arrested Sunday in Athens for obstructing public sidewalks/streets-prowling and obstruction of a law enforcement officer 🚨Branch was booked at 1:26 a.m.

Sunday and released at 3:44 a.m. pic.twitter.com/V0C4KAQsRe— Football Forever (@fballforeverhq) April 19, 2026According to reports, at 12:20 a.m. on Sunday, Athens-Clarke County officers responded to a large crowd outside the Cloud Bar. As the bar was trying to close, the crowd was not cooperating. Branch, according to the police report, was among those who failed to clear the sidewalk when officers issued commands.

He was subsequently charged with obstructing a public sidewalk and obstruction of a law enforcement officer, both of which are misdemeanors, booked and released on $39 bond.It is, by the standards of this rivalry, a relatively minor entry. It is also impeccably timed, as the 2026 NFL Draft is just days away.A Busy OffseasonBranch's arrest was not the first of 2026 for the program, even though it's only April. In February, defensive lineman London Seymour, son of former Bulldog great Richard Seymour, was arrested and charged with 11 felony counts of second-degree criminal property damage, related to incidents at two campus dormitories in December 2025.

In the same month, Georgia linebacker Chris Cole and freshman outside linebacker Darren Ikinnagbon were both charged with reckless driving and speeding. Ikinnagbon also picked up a charge of following too closely. The Only Rivalry Where the Other Team Never LosesTo his credit, Kirby Smart has not tried to minimize the pattern.

He has, however, been forced to address it, again and again over the last few years. In July 2023, he told reporters, "I don’t know if we can ever eradicate speeding, I don’t know if that’s possible, but I’m going to damn sure try because I don’t think that what we’re doing right now has been effective enough.”Georgia fans will point out, and correctly, that their program has won multiple national championships during this same stretch, has signed back-to-back top-rated recruiting classes, and features more NFL Draft picks per roster than virtually any program in America. All of that is true.It's also true that somewhere on a stretch of highway in Athens, at the speed that would be described in a police report as "reckless," there is almost certainly a Bulldog who is absolutely convinced they will not get caught.

For years, the jokes have written themselves between the hedges. As the great Steve Spurrier once said: This famous quote from Steve Spurrier about Georgia having players suspended early each season (due to offseason arrests) is from 14 YEARS AGO.It really is insane how long Georgia has had this culture of bringing in some of the poorest character players in College Football 😭 pic.twitter.com/tS7Lev6iAp— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) February 19, 2026Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Breaking down Georgia football's history of player arrests