Georgia football: UGA is quickly becoming the new tight end U

Georgia tight end history

Of course I can’t write about Georgia possibly earning the moniker of Tight End U without mentioning past tight ends that almost earned Georgia that nickname. Starting with Shannon Mitchell in the early 1990’s.

Shannon Mitchell

Mitchell caught 99 passes from 1990-to-93, including 49 in 1993 for 539 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He was a major part of Georgia’s transformative offenses that transitioned from the power-run of the 1980’s to the pro-style attack that Georgia has run since. Mitchell went on to spend four seasons with the San Diego Chargers.

Jermaine Wiggins

Then came Jermaine Wiggins in 1997. In two seasons, Wiggins caught 33 passes for 404 yards with three touchdowns. Wiggins was not drafted, but he did join the New York Jets in 1999 as an undrafted free agent. He spent nine years in the NFL with the Jets, Patriots, Colts, Panthers, Vikings and Jaguar’s.

The highlight of Wiggins career came in the 2002 playoffs as he caught 10 passes of 68 yards in the Patriots win over the Raiders in the “Tuck Rule Game.” He then caught a pass on the Patriots final drive in Super Bowl XXXVI to set up the game-winning field goal.

Randy McMichael

After 90 catches and 1,213 yards in three years at Georgia, Randy McMichael went on to become Georgia’s first great tight end in the NFL. McMichael had two 450-plus-yard seasons in 1999 and 2000. He played a big role on Georgia’s final drive against Tennessee in 2001.

The Miami Dolphins stole McMichael in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. He never caught less than 39 passes in any of his five years with Miami. His best year was a 73-catch, 791-yard season in 2004.

McMichael went on to spend three years with the St. Louis Rams and three with the Chargers before retiring. He caught 426 passes in his career for 4,539 yards with 24 touchdowns.

Ben Watson

After McMichael left in 2001, Watson took over and there wasn’t a drop off. He caught 54 passes in his two seasons as Georgia’s no. 1 tight end. Overall, he finished his career with 73 catches for 945 yards with seven touchdowns.

Watson is still playing the NFL. He was selected in the first round of the 2004 draft by the Patriots who he spend six years with. He caught 167 passes for New England for 2,102 yards with 20 touchdowns.

Since leaving New England, Watson has spent three years with the Cleveland Browns and three with the New Orleans Saints. He joined the Baltimore Ravens prior to the 2016 season but suffered a season-ending injury before he could play a down.

In his career, Watson has 434 receptions for 4,963 yards with 38 touchdowns.

Leonard Pope

Out of all the great Georgia tight ends, Pope probably had the best two years. Just like when in 2002 when Watson stepped up to fill the void left by Micheal, Pope did the same for Watson in 2004.

In 2004, Pope caught 24 passes for 482 yards with six touchdowns. He followed that with a 39-catch, 541-yard season in 2005.

the Arizona Cardinals drafted Pope in the third round of the 2006 draft. His pro career wasn’t as great as McMichael’s or Watson’s, but he was still a decent tight end for seven seasons in Arizona, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. His career ended with 105 grabs for 982 yards with 11 touchdowns.