Georgia Football: 3 players overdue for a strong year

Georgia football tight end Darnell Washington

Darnell Washington is another guy who came into the Georgia football program highly recruited and ready to impress. However, his first couple of seasons with the Dawgs have not been what we thought it would be.

Washington towers over defensive backs, does a great job blocking at the line, and is a team player, but at the same time, Georgia doesn’t get him the ball.

It seems like he has a one catch per game limit, and for the most part, that is what he got. His first career touchdown came in the SEC Championship Game. This guy is too big to play without any grit. He needs to remind people of his size and show he is a mismatch.

Last season, Washington recorded 10 catches for 154 yards and one touchdown. He appeared in 11 games. His first season at Georgia, Washington recorded seven catches for 166 yards.

Those numbers need to jump significantly and could this year with the right game plan.

With Brock Bowers rehabbing a shoulder injury, Washington could step into the starting role and prove himself. He has fought with some injuries, which is why Bowers took over in the first place, but now that Washington is healthy, he needs to kick it into overdrive.

If the spring doesn’t quite go as he wants, Washington could be a guy we all see transfer to another program, but hopefully, that doesn’t happen. This coaching staff avoids that by finding a way to incorporate him into the playbook.

A mismatch is a common and repetitive word here because, at 6-7 and 260-pounds, Washington overpowers everyone he goes up against, but now he has to be as aggressive as his size suggests he is.