Georgia knows its tight end room is loaded. Can it maximize its potential?

So could the tight end room emerge as the focal point of the offense?

“We lost a lot of experience in that receiver room,” Bobo said. “We’ve got a little bit more experience coming back in the tight end room. You’re constantly in the competition to see if you’re in more 11 personnel, more 12 personnel, what best fits us each game going in.”

Tight ends coach Todd Hartley has done an excellent job of stacking talent in his room. Even after losing Oscar Delp to the NFL draft, Hartley’s room has options.

Senior Lawson Luckie has added weight, as he hopes to never leave the field. At 6-foot-7, Elyiss Williams oozes with potential. Fellow second-year tight end Ethan Barbour is a favorite among the coaching staff, with Hartley comparing his hands to those of Mike Tyson when it comes to run blocking.

Then there’s Jaden Reddell, who to this point is perhaps having the best fall camp of anyone on the Georgia roster. It comes after a strong spring and summer, where Reddell’s athleticism turned a lot of heads.

Bobo’s 2023 offense featured Brock Bowers, who led Georgia in receiving even while missing three games because of an ankle injury. It’s unfair to expect Reddell to be Bowers, but the former is starting to get compared to the latter in terms of mindset and athletic ability.

“He has matured into playing the tight end position,” Hartley said of Reddell. “He still can run, he still can catch, but now we can actually put him in positions where he’s playing a traditional tight end role where he can block, he can pass protect. So he has gotten himself in position to be more of an all-around tight end, which increases his value in our offense.”

There is also star freshman Kaiden Prothro to consider. His long-term home might be at tight end, but for now Georgia loves his ability as a slot wide receiver. He’s a natural pass catcher and someone who can help this team this season.

During his news conference, Hartley didn’t pound the podium and demand to see more 13 and 14 personnel sets — where three in 13 and four in 14 tight ends take the field.

He doesn’t have to do that with this group. The talent and experience speak for themselves, something the wide receiver room has not yet done.

“We concern ourselves with the process and just doing what we can to, you know, contribute the best way offensively,” Hartley said. “Yeah, do I want to catch more balls? Of course we want that. But if our job is to go out there and run block 62 plays, we’re going to go out there and run block 62 plays to the best of our ability.

“So I think our guys take that, you know, that mindset on. They’re very selfless in how they go about their business.”

Georgia’s tight ends had only 43 receptions last season and five touchdowns. The 2022 team, Georgia’s most recent national championship bunch, saw tight ends catch 98 passes and 11 touchdowns.

Bobo was on that Georgia staff, working as an analyst. Stetson Bennett had no issues attacking the middle of the field and funneling balls to his jumbo pass catchers.

With quarterback Gunner Stockton now leading the Georgia offense, Bobo is going to gear the offense around what he does best.

“It’s not just necessarily the receiver position,” Bobo said. “It’s not just the tight end position. It’s trying to figure out a balance of what we do best as an offense, what our quarterbacks do best as an offense, and where we’re going to tailor who and how we’re going to try to get touches to those people.”

The tight end room will be ready, whether those passes come their way or not.

“They’re not concerned about the production, they’re not concerned about the catches,” Hartley said. “I truly believe that. They’re concerned about what they can do to help our offense be the best offense it can possibly be.”