Brock Bowers is one of the most unstoppable forces in college football history.
The former Georgia tight end, who declared for the NFL Draft after the 2023 season, left an incredible legacy for Athens — two national championships and the John Mackey Award given to the nation's best tight end. 2x, All-American 3x, Laundry 1x and other accomplishments list.
With Bowers falling outside of the projected top 10-15 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Georgia is tasked with filling the huge hole he leaves behind.
It's not like Bowers was carrying Georgia alone.
He benefited from a great play-caller, talented teammates, and an all-around defenseman who was just as responsible for Georgia's success as he was. Still, it's almost comical how he was able to almost single-handedly push Georgia's offense into a new gear.
Remember last year's road game against Auburn? Georgia entered the fourth quarter tied with the Tigers at 17 points. Bowers had an uneventful day until he caught four passes for 121 yards in the final 15 minutes, ultimately clinching the win. Touchdown.
“Bowers did what he had to do,” head coach Kirby Smart said after the game. “I mean, that guy is amazing. I wonder why he doesn't just go to him every play.”
Simply put, Georgia doesn't have a tight end on its current roster that fans should expect anything like that from. It's like no other tight end to ever play college football can maintain that standard.
But don't get me wrong. Georgia still has a lot of talent in its tight end room.
Youngster Oscar Delp will headline Georgia's tight end group in 2024 following a 2023 season in which he caught 24 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns. He was Georgia's starting tight end, filling in for Bowers for two games when Bowers went down with an ankle sprain.
Delp is a talented athlete with a much more varied post-catch movement than someone at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, and his early high school background as a former wide receiver lends to his fluid route running and It helps explain the sense of stability. hand. The coaching staff also praises his continued growth as a blocker.
“He does things his way,” Smart said. “He's not Brock and he's not trying to be Brock. He's a quiet leader like Brock, but he's really physical. He's tough. He knows the work ethic that it takes. This guy has taken a lot of reps since he's been here. He's been durable. Not only has he done a good job as a leader in that room. [Lawson] Lucky and our two young children. ”
Delp isn't the only talented tight end Georgia has waiting in the wings. Lackey, a rising sophomore, is the No. 2 rookie tight end in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports, and played in seven games as a reserve in 2023.
Lackey is a smooth route runner and aggressive blocker who drew attention for his performance last spring as an early enrollee. He was scheduled to face fellow highly rated 2023 recruit Pierce Spurlin III, but Spurlin was ruled medically unfit due to a heart condition in March.
Georgia will add another veteran presence to the group with the addition of former Stanford tight end Benjamin Yurosek through the transfer portal in the fall of 2024.The rising fifth-year player missed 2023 due to injury but was drafted.
He was second-team All-Pac in 2022 with 49 catches for 445 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulldogs also secured Jaden Reddell, a versatile athlete who, like Bowers, has shown the ability to line up in the slot, outside wide and inline tight end, as 247Sports' No. 7 tight end prospect in 2024. Three-star freshman Colton Heinrich joins Reddell to complete Georgia's tight room. The two freshmen are unlikely to play much in 2024, but could easily join the roster as sophomores, especially if Delp doesn't stick around until 2025.
It cannot be overstated that replacing Bowers will be an impossible task. He is a unique player who can make magic happen every time the ball drops into his hands, but that rarely happens.
Still, Georgia has made it a priority to continue building up its tight end talent and prepare as best as possible for life without Bowers. Georgia football has a high standard at tight end, and it's time for the next generation to live up to that standard.
“We've got to keep making plays and keep doing what we know we can do, and all the coaches know we can do, too,” Delp said. “We are a passing offense; [the coaches] I like having a lot of tight ends.If possible, we plan to go as many as 12 people. [sets with two tight ends on the field] And keep doing it. I don't see any change. ”
