Tight Ends Will Shine In Bobo-Led Offense

Based on Mike Bobo's track record, Brock Bowers and the rest of Georgia's tight ends should succeed under the new offensive coordinator.

Whenever there's turnover on a coaching staff, there's bound to be justified concerns. Especially when the outgoing coach helped lead the team to a pair of national championships.

That's what Georgia football is currently experiencing as Mike Bobo enters his first season back as the Bulldog's offensive coordinator, replacing the ultra-successful Todd Monken.

One of those concerns is Georgia's usage of tight ends. The position was featured heavily in Monken's offense with Brock Bowers earning All-American honors twice and winning the John Mackey Award in 2022. Darnell Washington had a solid career as well and was the 93th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Monken's usage of tight ends, alongside the prowess of tight ends coach Todd Hartley, has lead to success on the recruiting trail. Georgia signed Oscar Delp (SI 99 no. 88 overall in 2022), Pierce Spurlin (no. 95 overall in 2023) and Lawson Luckie in its last two recruiting classes. The Bulldogs have another top-notch TE in Jaden Redell committed to the 2024 class. 

The obvious question is can new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo continue Georgia's burgeoning "Tight End U" tradition? The answer is fairly easy to find.

Georgia football analyst Mike Bobo speaks with an NFL scout during Georgia's Pro Day in Athens, Ga., on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. News Joshua L Jones

Bobo heavily utilized tight ends during his first stint at Georgia

Georgia was known as a tight end haven well before Mike Bobo became Georgia's offensive coordinator in 2006. From Larry Brown, Jermaine Wiggins and Randy McMichael in the Jim Donnan era, to Ben Watson and Leonard Pope in the early Mark Richt era; Georgia always had a tight end featured prominently in the offense.

That didn't change in 2006 when Martrez Milner inherited the starting job. After a solid, 291-yard season as Pope's backup in 2005, Milner caught 30 passes for 425 yards in 2006. That was with three different starting quarterbacks throughout the year.

2007 and 2008 were lean years at the position, but fortunes changed when Orson Charles arrived in 2009. He was a bona fide star in Athens, finishing his three-year career with 1,370 yards on 94 catches and 10 touchdowns. Prior to Bower's freshman campaign, Charles's 575-yard, five-touchdown junior season was the best for a tight end in Georgia football history.

Following Charles, Arthur Lynch had a pair of 400-yard seasons in 2012 and 2013, keeping Georgia tight end tradition alive and healthy.

Perhaps no tight end better shows how well Bobo utilized tight ends than Jeb Blazevich. The Composite Rankings named the Charlotte, N.C. native as the no. 3 tight end in the 2014 recruiting class and Bobo wasted no time in getting him involved. Blazevich ended his true freshman season with 269 yards in 10 games, good enough for third-most on the team. 

Then Bobo left to become head coach at Colorado State. Blazevich faded into obscurity under Brian Schottenheimer (2015) and Jim Chaney (2016 and 2017). The former four-star prospect caught just 23 passes for 232 yards in his final three seasons at Georgia.

If this history is any indication, Georgia's tight ends are in good hands with Bobo coordinating the offense. Bowers is looking to make history this year by becoming Georgia's third three-time All-American, as well as the first repeat winner of the Mackey Award. 

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• Preseason All-SEC Teams Released

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