Who Could "Breakout" For Georgia After the Bye Week?
Since assuming the reins of the Georgia program in 2016, Head Coach Kirby Smart has been clear in his message that, rather than using its annual bye week to gain an edge in preparing for its next opponent, Georgia utilizes its bye week to focus on how it can improve its own performance. Smart reiterated that mission once again this week when he described Georgia's process during the bye week by explaining that "we kind of take a picture of where we are, what we can do better, and how we can practice it better to maybe get better results." With that type of focus on self-improvement, there are typically several players that emerge from the shadows to assume larger and more impactful roles on the team following the off week. This year figures to be no different. Here are the leading candidates to make a move towards during Georgia's 2023 bye week.
TE Oscar Delp
Including Delp on this list, a player who has played 259 snaps through Georgia's first seven games of the season, might seem a bit curious, but his inclusion on this list is not about playing time; rather, it is about the impact he has an opportunity to make on the Georgia offense in the absence of All-American tight-end Brock Bowers who will miss 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain he suffered against Vanderbilt on Oct. 14.
With 197 of his 259 snaps coming as an inline tight end, to this point, Delp has largely been utilized in a role akin to that which Darnell Washington was utilized a year ago. While, with Bowers' presence on the team, Delp was thrust into that role out of necessity, it is not a role that best suits his skill set. At 245 pounds, Delp was the No.1 tight end in the 2022 recruiting class based on his elite athleticism and receiving skills for the position, emphatically not based on his blocking skills. While he has improved as a blocker, the fact remains that he has essentially been forced to play out of position while Bowers was available. With Bowers out, however, Delp will have the opportunity to operate more as a receiving threat in the Georgia offense, a role that is a significantly better fit for his skill set. Delp is not an unknown player, but look for him to increase his receiving production dramatically after the bye week and emerge as a major threat in the Georgia offense.
Georgia sophomore tight end Oscar Delp will be part of the equation to help replace the lost production of Brock Bowers while the All-American tight end recovers from a high ankle sprain suffered against Vanderbilt on Oct.14.
TE Lawson Luckie
As talented as Delp is, replacing Bowers is not a one-man job. As the proverbial "next man up" at tight end, Luckie's role on the team will assuredly expand. How much it will expand, though, remains the question. With its abundance of talented tight ends, 12 personnel has become a defining feature of the Georgia offense during its rise to the top of the college football landscape over the past three seasons. While the injury to Bowers could certainly lead Georgia to expand its use of 11 personnel , it is exceedingly difficult to imagine Georgia will abandon 12 personnel in Bowers' absence; it is simply too central to what the Bulldogs do in both the run game and the pass game.
Luckie made waves in his first spring with the program and was seemingly working himself into a role in Georgia's offense, but suffered a high ankle sprain of his own early in fall camp that put the brakes on on the momentum he had built. Now, however, his opportunity has arisen and, while there will undoubtedly be growing pains, the true freshman tight end has the talent to make plays and help mitigate the loss of Georgia's All-American tight end.
JACK Marvin Jones Jr.
After only logging more than 5 snaps once in Georgia's first three SEC games, Jones Jr. played 17 snaps in Georgia's last contest against Vanderbilt. In fact, for the first time this season, Jones equaled the snaps of position-mate Chaz Chambliss. The sophomore outside linebacker was inserted into the game against the Commodores early and often and flashed his immense physical ability when he was on the field.
While Chambliss is a valuable run defender for Georgia, Jones Jr.'s athleticism and skill set give him the potential to add a much-needed punch to the Bulldog pass rush. After missing chunks of time during his freshman season and all of spring practice leading into the current season with a labrum injury, the Sunrise, Florida native's usage in the Vanderbilt game was a sign that he is beginning to earn the trust of the Georgia coaches. With more time to sharpen his game and continue his development during the bye week, Jones Jr. could very well be in line for a breakout second half of the 2023 season.
DL Jordan Hall
After playing 38 snaps over the course of Georgia's first two games of the season against UT-Martin and Ball State, Hall's role has, understandably, been reduced in conference play, logging only 25 combined snaps in Georgia's four league games. That is unsurprising considering Hall is a true freshman still learning how to play at this level, but with a stretch run that includes two of the SEC's top-three rushing offenses staring it in the face, the Georgia defensive line is going to need Hall to make strides towards harnessing his immense potential.
Georgia has conspicuously lacked that dominant interior defensive lineman that it enjoyed during each of its national championship seasons. While certainly unpolished, Hall has the raw talent to be that guy. The Jacksonville, Florida native might not yet be ready to consistently be that type of force on the interior, but at 6-foot-4, 320-pounds, the former five-star has the ability to play at that level in spurts and has the type of upside that could see him ultimately develop into Georgia's next dominant interior force. With an extra week of practice to further polish his game and earn the trust of the Georgia coaching staff, Hall could make his presence felt in a big way down the stretch of the 2023 season.
Other Georgia News:
- Georgia's Remaining Schedule - Who Could Be The Troublesome Game?
- Player Profile: How Can Oscar Delp Contribute to Georgia's Success?
- Reminder of What Georgia Has With Delp, Luckie, and Spurlin
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