Brock Bowers-less Georgia has CFB's top TE unit per On3
After three tremendous years at Georgia, Brock Bowers is off to the NFL. Las Vegas chose Bowers with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he leaves behind what Jesse Simonton of On3Sports considers the top tight end unit in all of College Football.
Simonton continued his position unit series on Monday with a look at the tight end position. As was the case a year ago, Georgia is ranked No. 1
“The Bulldogs lost a generational talent in Brock Bowers, yet they still tout the top tight end room nationally in 2024, Simonton writes. “Junior Oscar Delp is primed for a now-it’s-my-turn-season, while UGA also brought in former Stanford standout Ben Yurosek, who’s been injured much of the past two seasons but was one of the best tight ends in the nation in 2021.
“Waiting in the wings are sophomore Lawson Luckie, who figures to see snaps in Georgia’s heavy 12-personnel packages, and 5-star freshman Jaden Reddell.”
It will be impossible for Georgia to replace Bowers, a guy both Todd Monken and Mike Bobo used as an offensive weapon in addition to his role as a traditional in-line tight end. Both of those offensive coordinators did everything they could to get the ball in his hands, using screens, jet sweeps, and more traditional methods. Yurosek wasn’t with the team this spring as he finished up his degree at Stanford but he is expected to join the team later this month.
The addition of Yurosek helps Georgia offset the production lost. Over the past three years Stanford has asked Yurosek to do some of the same tactics to get him more involved in the offense. The Bulldogs can also lean on Delp, who has played a ton of football since making his way to Athens a little over two years ago.
While Delp projects as more of a traditional tight end, he caught 24 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns in 2023. He had six receptions for 61 yards and a score the previous season.
Luckie will also have a role within the offense. The former four-star prospect turned in a tremendous first spring at Georgia in 2023 and was off to a strong start in preseason camp before suffering a high-ankle sprain that slowed him for a large portion of the season. Reddell has made waves already with some impressive GPS readings and his fellow 2024 signee, Colton Heinrich, generated some buzz this spring with his overall athleticism, route-running ability, and ball skills.
Simonton is now three position units deep into his series. He believes Georgia has the No. 4-ranked quarterback unit and the No. 2-ranked running back unit in College Football.
