Christopher Smith: Georgia tight ends are 'all real-deal athletic freaks'
The Georgia Bulldogs are stacked inside the tight end room. Georgia returns star tight end Brock Bowers, who was one of the best true freshmen in all of college football last season. Darnell Washington also returns, and the Bulldogs will get Arik Gilbert on the field as well. With a strong crop of returning players in the tight end room paired with a couple of impressive freshmen, Georgia’s offense could be dangerous in 2022.
One person who sees Georgia’s tight end room firsthand every day is senior defensive back Christopher Smith. Smith had a great description when asked about the position group, calling the Bulldogs tight ends “real-deal athletic freaks.”
“It looks crazy,” Smith said. “I can’t wait till we see it on the field. Those three guys, I always tell everybody those are three real-deal athletic freaks. They all bring different things to the table, and I’m excited to see how Coach Monken is going to use those guys come the season.”
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Bowers was the team’s leading receiver last season, hauling in 56 receptions for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 15.8 yards per reception. But he’s far from the only weapon in the tight end room. Washington had just ten receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown, but he has a lot of untapped potential.
Smith: All of Georgia’s tight ends are great
As a freshman at LSU in 2020, Gilbert caught 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns. He later transferred to Georgia, though he had to miss last season. Now, Gilbert is back in Georgia’s tight end room, and he has made a strong impression on Smith, who called Gilbert, who caught two touchdowns in the Bulldogs spring game, one of the best tight ends he’s ever seen.
“For sure,” said Smith. “Reiterating what I just said, Arik’s one of the best tight ends I’ve seen. He’s very strong, very quick, very sure hands. He attacks the game with an even-keeled mindset. So he’s going to continue to work, he’s going to be a great part of this team coming up for this season. “
Freshman tight end Oscar Delp is a true freshman who enrolled at Georgia in January. Delp is a four-star recruit and the second best tight end in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. Smith sees similarities between Delp this season and Bowers last season, which could be scary for opponents around the SEC.
“Well they’re both their own players,” Smith responded. “All our tight ends, like they’re all physical specimens and stuff like that. He’s got sure hands and he attacks the game with an even-keeled mindset too. So all our tight ends are great, and I can’t wait to see them this year.”