When Brock Bowers was sidelined with an injury last season, Georiga immediately turned to sophomore Oscar Delp to take his place. Delp caught 24 balls for 284 yards but never had more than three catches in a single game, proving he will probably never be as dangerous as Bowers as a pass receiver.

That’s why Kirby Smart used the transfer portal last season and picked up Benjamin Yurosek, a Stanford graduate. And it could be Yurosek, not Delp, who replaces Bowers in the passing game for Heisman Trophy favorite Carson Beck.

Yurosek has received rave reviews in fall camp, not only for the maturity he brings to a very young tight end room, but also for what he does on the field.

While Delp’s offensive output was a bit disappointing with just 24 catches, that’s still more than Yurosek’s 2023 season. In six games, Yurosek caught just 16 passes for 239 yards, but that performance wasn’t exactly indicative of his abilities as a 6-foot-4, 250-pound playmaker.

In 2022, Yurosek caught 49 of his 65 passes for 444 yards and a touchdown. Those aren’t game-winning numbers, but on a Stanford offense that finished this season ranked 92nd in the country, his lack of efficiency is forgivable. For his career, Yurosek averaged 1.50 yards per route run while playing in one of the worst units in the country, better than Delp’s career 1.31 or 1.37 yards per route run in 2023. Even last season, Yurosek averaged 14.9 yards per reception, which was 18th best among the 106 tight ends who caught at least 25 passes. Delp ranked 45th with 11.8.

This is what Yurosek did in 2021 in a slightly more functional offense with Tanner McKee at quarterback, and now he gets to play with the best quarterback in the country.

Despite all that and the excitement that trickled out of Athens in August, Delp will still be the No. 1 tight end in Week 1 against Clemson. He’ll likely have the most snaps at the position all season, but it could be Yurosek who is the bigger factor in the passing game and maybe even on the ground.

Tight end wasn’t the only position Smart targeted in the portal. He also wanted wide receiver, bringing in Colbie Young from Miami (FL) and London Humphreys from Vanderbilt. Combining those two with Dominic Lovett and Dillon Bell will give the Dawgs more depth at the outside position than they’ve ever had since Smart took over, but some of the best formations for Mike Bobo’s offense could be with two tight ends on the field.

There is arguably no player, either in Athens or in all of college football, who can replace what Bowers gave to Georgia’s offense the last two seasons, but with Oscar Delp and Benjamin Yurosek, the Bulldogs may have found a way to restore him and his performance.