ATHENS — For the time being, Oscar Delp is the oldest player in Georgia’s tight end room.
If that seems a little weird to you, he feels the same way.
“Yeah, it’s crazy,” Delp said when speaking to reporters on Tuesday. ”I remember when I got here my first spring, and how crazy that is for a freshman to go through, so I know what those guys are going through and how they’re feeling. It’s definitely different to be on the other side of things finally.”
Delp is entering his third year in the program. With Brock Bowers off to the NFL, Delp is the unquestioned leader at the position. That won’t change even as the Bulldogs add senior Benjamin Yurosek via the transfer portal later this summer.
Delp has only briefly met Yurosek but the junior tight end is still excited to see what he brings to the tight end room.
Of course, there will be far more discussion on what Georgia lost at the tight end position than what they’ve added. With Bowers no longer dominating every rep, Delp still expects the tight end position to be a key part of the Georgia offense.
“We’ve just got to keep making plays and doing things we know we’re capable of that all the coaches know we’re capable of also,” Delp said. “We’re a passing offense and they like the tight ends a lot. We’re going to hopefully go a lot of 12 personnel and continue that. I don’t see any change.”
At the moment, the position group is a little thinner than Georgia would like. Yurosek won’t be here until the summer and Georgia saw Pearce Spurlin medically retire due to a heart condition.
That creates an opportunity for young tight ends like Lawson Luckie, Jaden Reddell and Colton Heinrich. It also puts more onto the plate of Delp.
Of course, when compared to one of the greatest players in program history, you’re accustomed to great expectations.
“Oscar’s really physical. He does things his way,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He’s not Brock. He doesn’t try to be Brock. He’s a quiet leader, similar to Brock, but he’s really physical. He’s tough. He knows the work ethic it requires. The guy’s taken a lot of reps since being here. He’s been durable. He’s doing a good job leading in that room, as well as Luckie is and the two young kids.”
Delp is unfazed by the mention of Bowers. He helped make Delp a better player, simply by forcing Delp to try and keep up with his maniacal work ethic.
Some of Bowers’ best attributes have rubbed off on Delp, which should only continue to trickle down to the younger tight ends Delp now leads.
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve taken away from him is I’ve never really seen the guy take off a play,” Delp said. “I think that’s the way you need to practice here and how to grow as a player. That’s why he did the things he did. He never wasted a player or wasted an opportunity and made the most of everything.”
That starts this spring, as Delp continues to build a rapport with quarterback Carson Beck. Delp notices Beck’s steady growth in his first offseason as the unquestioned leader at the quarterback position.
While their connection may not be as prolific as the Beck-Bowers one was, these two will be key pieces of a Georgia offense that could very well be one of the best in the country.
“When he thinks I’m going to be somewhere, if I’m there that just builds that slowly,” Delp said. “Just making the right decision over time, making those catches and doing those things over, and over and over again.”
This isn’t Georgia’s first time asking Delp to step up at the tight end position. He subbed in for Darnell Washington in the College Football Playoff win over Ohio State as a true freshman. When Bowers went down with an ankle injury last year, he stepped in and caught a pivotal touchdown in the win over Missouri.
And if Delp’s prior track record is any indication, he is more than capable of handling any challenge that might be thrown his way.
“Just taking all the things that I learned from my freshman and sophomore year, watching Brock and Darnell [Washington] practice and holding the standard that we hold here. Making sure you’re at the front of every line and giving your all every rep you take out there, whether it’s individual or in a team run period. Being coachable, and things like that.”
