Former University Of Georgia Quarterback D.J. Shockley To Give 2026 Commencement Address

He led the Bulldogs to a Southeastern Conference Championship and a Sugar Bowl appearance in 2005.

Former University of Georgia quarterback D.J. Shockley, who led the Bulldogs to an SEC (Southeastern Conference) Championship and a Sugar Bowl appearance in 2005, will give the commencement address at the school’s May graduation.

According to Dawg Nation, Shockley will be the second former Bulldogs football player to deliver a commencement address.

“It’s surreal this many years later that Georgia fans still love you and still want to take care of you and give you flowers,” Shockley said.

He felt the school had other choices that might have made more sense, including Matthew Stafford (2025 NFL MVP), Aaron Murray (holder of several school passing records), or Stetson Bennett (MVP of the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national championship wins).

Shockley follows Billy Payne, who in 1991 was the first football player to give the address.

The former quarterback arrived at the school during the 2001 season, but lost the starting job to David Greene. Although head coach Mark Richt implemented a two-quarterback system in his first year, injuries decimated Shockley’s ability to start throughout his first three years. Instead of transferring, he stayed with the team and won the starting job in 2005.

Shockley led the No. 4-ranked, undefeated team to the Sugar Bowl. His 28 touchdowns were a school record at the time. Sadly, an injury forced Shockley to sit out the Sugar Bowl, leading to the team’s only defeat that year, a 14-10 loss to SEC rival Florida.

His former teammate, DeMario Minter, who had a locker right next to Shockley’s at Georgia, said, “He never once complained, never once got frustrated. I think that translates to what he’s doing now and the type of person he is.”

Shockley spent three years with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons but never played a game. He is currently the sports director at Fox 5 Atlanta and a sideline reporter for the Georgia Bulldog Radio Network.

The Bulldogs are the current SEC champions after beating Alabama 28-7 to win its sixth SEC title on Dec. 6, 2025.