Kirby Smart evaluates Georgia TE Darnell Washington's status entering camp

On3 imageby:Barkley Truax08/04/22

BarkleyTruax

Darnell Washington is one of the few blue-chippers that make up the star-studded Georgia Bulldogs tight end room, and is expected to make waves in head coach Kirby Smart’s offense now that he’s back and healthy just in time for fall camp.

“I gave Darnell a lot of credit. He’s worked tremendously hard putting himself in the best health possible,” Smart said of his tight end prior to fall camp. “When he got injured – which I think was over spring break [or] going into spring practice – we thought he was in the best shape he had been in since being here; both body fat composition, body weight, conditioning level. I mean, he was really running well in our offseason conditioning program and we were looking forward to spring.

“He reinjured his foot. And from there, he couldn’t train the same and he couldn’t do the same things. And he’s really in a good spot. You know, he’s a guy that I came in on Sunday, and he’s out there running on his own on a day that was off. He’s got a purpose. He’s practicing to be driven. And excited to see, you know, what he can do. It’s going to be important that we get him in good, physical conditioning shape to be good to go in this training camp.”

Now that Washington is expected to be ready for the 2022 season, the issue now falls on Kirby Smart and tight ends coach Todd Hartley to help spread the minutes around the tight ends room.

Washington, Arik GilbertBrock Bowers, and Oscar Delp all have the abilities to be starting tight ends at the majority of Division I programs around the country – so how does one keep the entire group happy in the age of the transfer portal and NIL when players could be missing out on deals they would otherwise have if they didn’t have to split minutes multiple ways.

Smart’s solution – other than spreading minutes – is to place some of his tight ends on special teams. The Georgia special teams saw four starting defenders (three inside linebackers) double as special teams blockers and/or gunners, and Smart believes his tight ends are the perfect pieces to fill those voids.

That could be a perfect spot for Washington, who wasn’t available to start the 2021 season due to his foot injury, has a lot more to show after a limited first two seasons in Athens.

Elsewhere in the tight end room, Brock Bowers is back as the team’s top receiver after an 882-yard, 13-touchdown 2021 campaign. Georgia fans didn’t see Arik Gilbert suit up last season after his transfer from LSU, he showed out for them at G-Day with three receptions for 49 yards and two touchdowns – just a taste of what UGA’s tight end group is capable of this year.