Georgia football: UGA is quickly becoming the new tight end U
Three-star tight end John FitzPatrick recently committed to Georgia football and many are predicting four-star Luke Ford to also commit to the G.
Georgia football has long been known as Running Back U. With a long line of solid running backs dating back to the early 1970’s. But is the SEC’s school of running backs also becoming the school of tight ends? It sure does seem that way. From 2014-to-2016, a top-5 tight end has chosen the Bulldogs.
In 2014, no. 3 Jeb Blazevich signed with Georgia football, no. 5 Jackson Harris followed him in 2015. Then no. 1 Isaac Nauta arrived in Athens in 2016. Luke Ford is currently the no. 3 tight end according to 247 Sports. Signing him will mean Georgia will have signed four top-5 tight ends in five years.
Georgia is clearly doing a fine job at signing tight ends, they just need to use them. UGA cannot claim the moniker of tight end U until they constantly put players in the NFL. Coaches deserve some of the blame and the rest falls on quarterbacks.
The first player in this stretch, Jeb Blazevich, jumped out to a good start as a true freshman with 18 catches for 269 yards. Considering that team was full of veteran receivers in Chris Conely, Michael Bennett and Malcolm Mitchell, those stats are pretty good.
However, Blazevich only caught 10 passes in 2015 and six last year. Coaches get a pass in 2015 since Grayson Lambert struggled going through progressions and wasn’t good at anything other than quick passes. Hard to distribute the ball to the tight end with a passer like that. But as Jacob Eason settled into the 2016 season, it’s odd that Blazevich wasn’t utilized more.
Same holds true for Harris. If Blazevich wasn’t getting attention from the quarterback, Harris certainly wasn’t.
But the fortune of Georgia tight ends may be changing. Nauta caught 29 passes with 361 yards and three touchdowns in 2016. And Kirby Smart going after more top-notch tight ends shows a commitment to developing and utilizing the position. Throw in Charlie Woerner and the Bulldogs have four very good tight ends to use.
In Eason’s second year as Georgia’s signal caller, he should have plenty of chemistry with all of them. We should all expect good years from the four tight ends.
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Nauta will still lead that group as he’s one of the best tight ends in the country. He’s a big, powerful athlete with hands like pillows and speed that is devastating if underestimated.
Blazevich should follow right behind. He’ll benefit from playing with Nauta and when Nauta isn’t on the field, Blazevich will be overlooked. Another good year from Blazevich will also help his draft stock. And getting Blazevich drafted will be the first step in getting Georgia recognized as Tight End U.
Georgia will be making a big mistake if they don’t begin using Harris and Woerner more. Harris really doesn’t bring anything that the other tight ends don’t, but that isn’t a real criticism either. There’s a reason he was no. 5 tight end coming out of high school. He won’t give Georgia the big plays like Nauta, but a couple catches a game are always welcomed.
Woerner is a different however, He isn’t built like the other three and he’s a bit more athletic. Keep in mind he did play wide receiver at Rabun County High School. I can see Woerner playing a lot in the slot and occasionally as a flanker. He’s a tight end that can play all over the field.
With four uniquely talented tight ends, there’s ton of possibilities of how to use them all. Three tight end sets could be very potent. A fake hand-off to Nick Chubb should open up all of them. It doesn’t matter how they’re used though. They are here, they’re talented, Georgia will regret wasting them.