Todd Hartley on coaching tight ends without Brock Bowers: 'I haven't approached it any differently'

It’s business as usual for Georgia tight ends coach Todd Hartley this season even with Brock Bowers gone. The star of the offense over the past three seasons, Bowers is on to the NFL after a career that makes him the most accomplished tight end in Bulldogs history.

Replacing the kind of production that Bowers provided — 175 catches for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns over three years — is near impossible, but Georgia a number of players ready to step up. As Hartley gets them ready for kickoff in a couple of weeks, he is using the same coaching style he always has.

“I haven’t approached it any differently whether Brock was there or Brock wasn’t there,” the coach explained. “You approach it the same way. It’s my job to make sure my unit plays, practices and prepares to the best of their ability. It’s also my job to make sure I get every ounce out of them that I can.

“Obviously, I’m gonna miss Brock. I love Brock. Any time you can recruit a kid, sign a kid, see it through and now he’s in the NFL, kind of achieve that dream that you told them about in recruiting, that is a fulfilling process. So I’m gonna miss him, but that doesn’t have any effect on our team this year.”

Oscar Delp is expected to see the biggest increase in production for the Bulldogs after the departure of Bowers. He started 10 games this past season to record 24 catches for 284 yards and three touchdowns and is getting ready to enter his junior season.

The Bulldogs also added Stanford transfer Ben Yurosek to play alongside Delp. He played only six games this past season due to injury but showed his potential as a sophomore in 2021 with 43 catches for 658 yards and three TDs.

Lawson Luckie, the No. 8 tight end from the 2023 class, is also back for his second season with the program. That in mind, Georgia should remain one of the deepest rooms in the country at tight end even without Bowers.

“These guys, we go out and we’ve got the same plays that we’ve always had in this offense,” Hartley said. “It’s just a different person doing it. He is a monumental player in the history of Georgia football and I don’t think you’ll ever replace that, but I coach Oscar Delp just like I coach Brock Bowers. Lawson Luckie and Ben Yurosek and those two freshmen as well. I don’t coach them any differently.”

Georgia kicks off the 2024 season with a big test off the bat against No. 14 Clemson on Aug. 31.