Georgia’s upcoming spring practice will feature an interesting storyline at the tight end position with the departure of standout Brock Bowers. The three-time All-American and two-time Mackey Award winner is headed to the 2024 NFL draft with a first-round grade.
While replacing a talent like Bowers is a tall order, the Bulldogs have some promising options at tight end. Junior Oscar Delp, who served as Bowers’ backup last season, is coming off his best season yet with 24 catches for 284 yards and three touchdowns. Delp is expected to step into Bowers’ shoes, but the addition of Stanford transfer Benjamin Yurosek adds a unique change of pace.
Yurosek (6-foot-4, 242 pounds) signed with the Bulldogs as a graduate transfer this offseason. Pro Football Focus ranks Yurosek as the fourth-best tight end in the nation for the upcoming season. Michigan‘s Colston Loveland comes in at No. 1, Notre Dame‘s Mitchell Evans at No. 2, and Utah’s Brant Kuithe at No. 3, per PFF.
“Yurosek is the first of four tight ends mentioned in this article who’ll be playing for a new school in 2024, transferring to Georgia from Stanford in February. The senior had a disappointing last couple seasons for the Cardinal. In 2022, his PFF receiving grade dropped by nearly 15 points compared to what it was the year prior (65.5 compared to 79.9). In 2023, he missed the final six games of the season with a shoulder injury.
He deserves a high placement on this list for what he accomplished as a sophomore. In 2021, he was named first-team All-Pac-12 by PFF and was fourth among Power Five tight ends that year with 335 yards after the catch. Despite a lackluster last couple of seasons, Yurosek’s 1,338 receiving yards since 2021 lead all returning tight ends in college football. The only three who had more in that stretch were Bowers, Michael Mayer and Dalton Kincaid. After dealing with one of the worst quarterback situations at Stanford, Yurosek will be catching passes from the top returning signal-caller in the nation next year in Carson Beck.” — PFF
In addition to Delp and Yurosek, Georgia’s tight end room boasts sophomores Lawson Luckie and Pearce Spurlin, along with four-star recruit Jaden Reddell from the top-ranked 2024 class. We should get a better idea of how the Bulldogs will use the rotation by the end of spring practice.
Spring practice kicks off on Tuesday, March 12 and will culminate with the annual G-Day spring game on Saturday, April 13 in Sanford Stadium.