Pearce Spurlin, Lawson Luckie with opportunity to learn from the best

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia’s wide receivers have been the talk of the town the last few days with the Bulldogs landing three on the first day of the Early Signing Period from the high school ranks and then two more the next day out of the transfer portal. And while the revamp of the receiver room certainly is important to Georgia’s offensive success going forward, let’s not forget that the Dawgs have established themselves to be ‘TEU’ as of late too.

Pearce Spurlin and Lawson Luckie are the two newest members of the tight end group – one that doesn’t have a nickname but certainly has caught the eye of plenty across the country. With what Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington have done playing alongside each other, it’s been proven that two can feast together in a Todd Monken offense. Bowers will still be in Athens next season and there’s current freshman soon to be sophomore Oscar Delp – the No. 2 tight end in last year’s class – too, but the future seems bright for Spurlin and Luckie.

“I don’t know. I think we’ll see that,” Smart said when asked what the duo brings to an already talented tight end group. “We know what the ‘experts’ say and what the stars say, but I don’t think you really know what you have technically other than what they’ve done in camp.”

“Both those guys have been competitive. They’ve gone out and competed every chance they’ve had,” Smart continued. “Pearce was able to come back towards the end of the year and play some coming off of shoulder surgery. And then Lawson had a good year playing in a really tough division in Georgia High School football. I’m excited about both of those guys. They’re coming into a room that is extremely competitive, but they both fit that criteria themselves. So I’m excited to see what they can do for us.”

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Spurlin ranks No. 4 among tight ends and No. 118 overall according to the On3 Consensus. The Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. native spent the majority of his senior season dealing with a shoulder injury but put together a strong year as a junior at South Walton to showcase his skillset with 74 catches, 1,404 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Lengthy tight end with twitch and a wide catch radius. Measured over 6-foot-5 and around 230 pounds with a 33.75-inch arm. Ultra productive offensive weapon that totaled 74 catches for 1,404 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior. Wins at the catch point with body control and explosiveness. Has a knack for bursting through arm tackles and getting upfield in a hurry. A willing blocker that looks to finish, just needs to continue adding play strength to become more productive in that role. Also plays basketball. Has a leaner build with plenty of room for growth – has added close to 30 pounds between his sophomore and senior years. Has the chance to be productive early on at the next level. Can become a complete tight end once he physically develops and becomes a greater force as a blocker in the run game.

Charles Power – On3 Director of Scouting

Then there’s Luckie, a little bit denser coming in at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds. A Georgia legacy with his father having played linebacker for the Bulldogs in the ’90s, Luckie finished off an outstanding career not too far down the road in Norcross with 728 all purpose yards as a tight end and kick returner during his senior season.

Well put together tight end prospect who excels in all phases of the position. Catches the ball naturally. Totaled 33 receptions for 358 yards and 3 touchdowns during his junior season. Looks comfortable getting in and out of breaks. Smooth mover with wiggle as a route runner. Dominant high point ability. Strong blocker that finishes with tenacity and violence. Lacks ideal top end speed and overall mass. Has the frame to put on quality weight. Has the athletic ability and receiver qualities to carve out a role early in his career. Will become a more complete player in college once he adds the necessary weight.

Charles Power – On3 Director of Scouting

Luckie is already on campus and practicing with the team ahead of their bowl game against Ohio State. Spurlin will join shortly after the holidays and be there as the Bulldogs go through winter workouts and spring practice. That’s an experience Brock Bowers, who contributed heavily as a freshman, benefitted from greatly and should do the same for the two incoming freshmen, even if there’s not quite the opportunity to contribute as much with Bowers – who can teach them a thing or two – still on campus.

“It helped me so much just because there’s so much to learn, like, in the playbook. I’ve learned so much football since I got here, like, it’s more than just running around and catching the ball and run with it,” Bowers said. “You have to, read stuff and everything like that. And also adjusting to the speed. It’s a completely different speed obviously than high school, so. Yeah, it helped me a ton … Lawson’s the only one here right now, but he’s been doing good. He’s been working some scout teams reps and working with the three’s a little bit. So, he’s been doing good.”

“You’ve got to just show up every day, be consistent in everything you do and just kind of prove to everyone that you can do your job day in and day out,” he added when asked what advice he would have for the freshmen. “Shoot, just play football and they’ll find a spot for you.”