Georgia asking talented tight ends to be themselves, not Brock Bowers

ATHENS, Ga. — Brock Bowers may be gone, but the Georgia tight end room is far from barren. Kirby Smart and company know how big filling the shoes of Bowers may seem, but the Bulldogs aren’t asking either Oscar Delp or Ben Yurosek to do that. Instead, Georgia wants the two talented tight ends to just be themselves.

Smart spoke first on Delp last Thursday when Georgia opened fall camp. “A leader by action,” Delp was among the players Smart made an example of during special teams period at practice. As the head coach said, the Bulldogs aren’t afraid to put their best players on the punt team, and Delp found himself out there.

It was just a small example of what seems to be a larger theme with the Cumming, Ga. native and West Forsyth product. The former four-star made 10 starts last season as he played in all 14 games, totaling 24 catches for 284 yards and three touchdowns. He’s experienced in Georgia’s system, and understands the role of the tight end in the offense. Now, it’s his turn to take on the ‘TE1’ responsibilities individually while also helping set the tone for the entirety of the team.

“He’s a leader by action. He’s a kid that’s taken a lot of reps here, so everybody will want to compare him and say he’s filling Brock Bowers’ shoes. That’s not happening. We’re not asking anybody to fill Brock Bowers’ shoes. We’re asking Oscar to be Oscar, which is extremely physical, extremely tough, extremely dependable,” Smart said of Delp. “I mean, you talk about a guy that — I don’t know if he’s missed a practice since being here. There’s a lot of times that Darnell was out or Brock was out that Oscar took double the load, so his durability’s been incredible. He doesn’t necessarily have to lead by what he says, although he does speak up. He leads by his actions. I appreciate his work ethic.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of experience in Georgia’s offense is Yurosek. The Stanford graduate transfer arrived in Athens over the summer. He’s got plenty of reps at the collegiate level to fall back on, but Thursday marked the first time he took the field for practice in red and black.

Needless to say, there’s learning to be done, but there’s also a reason he was a priority for Georgia in the transfer portal. He comes to UGA having caught 108 passes for 1,342 yards and five touchdowns the last three seasons totaling 34 games played and 29 starts for the Cardinal.

“I haven’t really gotten to see them. Most of these guys, I saw through the spring. The late arrivals of late May, early June, he would be included in that. I would be remiss if I could tell you what he could do and what he’s going to do because outside of some summer workouts, I haven’t gotten to see him do a lot,” Smart said. “I’m excited. He’s very intelligent, very conscientious. I love the way he’s kind of approached the team. I see him meeting guys all the time, talking to guys all the time. He’s not just here for like one quick season and roll. He’s invested, he wants to be part of something special.”

‘Special’ certainly is one way to describe the players Todd Hartley’s had to work with the past few seasons, and from the look of things this year, it’s going to be special again. While there may be no Bowers, a Delp and a Yurosek – along with Lawson Luckie, Jaden Reddell and Colton Heinrich – will be just fine for Georgia if they buy in on the idea of being themselves and not trying to be something

UGA kicks things off on August 31st against Clemson. Early betting lines list Georgia as 13.5-point favorites in a game that pits two programs that have claimed four of the last eight national titles. Both the Bulldogs and Tigers are expected to be in the top-15 when preseason rankings drop, beginning on Monday with the release of the Coaches Poll.