UGA football will turn to understudy Oscar Delp to continue what it has built at tight end

Oscar Delp didn’t get on the field much for Georgia football this season.

There’s not much mystery why. It says more about the people in front of him than the talented freshman who still is very much in the plans for the Bulldogs going forward.

“It’s nothing Oscar hasn’t done,” tight ends coach Todd Hartley said. “It just takes a while to learn our system, learn our process and he has two generational guys in front of him. He’s done nothing wrong. I’m very pleased with his growth and development and I’m very excited about what he brings to the future.”

Must read:There's one word every Georgia D-lineman can define by heart. Here's how it unites them

More UGA:Kendall Milton returns home to California hitting his stride

Those two guys are Mackey Award winner Brock Bowers and possible 2023 first-round draft pick Darnell Washington.

They are major cogs in the Bulldogs offense that plays plenty of two-tight end sets. So when Washington left the 42-41 Peach Bowl win over Ohio State on Saturday night with a leg injury, Delp got the call.

He played 21 snaps, per Pro Football Focus, the most since Oct. 15 against Vanderbilt. It came after not getting into the SEC championship game and averaging 3.6 snaps in the previous five games.

“I felt like he played great,” nickel back Javon Bullard said. “Oscar comes to practice and works day in and day out. That's how this team works. One man goes down, another one has to step up. We don't hold our heads out in pity. Darnell is a great player, and Oscar came in and, I wouldn't say filled those shoes, but he definitely did what he needed to do in order to get the win.”

Honoring a legend:Delta dedicates plane to late Georgia football coach Vince Dooley

Delp, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound West Forsyth graduate, has watched while working behind Bowers and Washington and soaking up as much as he can from how they go about their business.

Bowers had a huge freshman season during Georgia’s run to the national title and leads the team this season with 56 catches for 790 yards and 6 touchdowns. The 6-7, 280-pound Washington is having his best college season with 27 catches for 426 yards and 2 touchdowns and is a force as a bloicker.

“Just the mindset they approach every day with,” said Delp, who has 5 catches for 61 yards and a touchdown that came at South Carolina. “They’re elite competitors and they have elite mindsets. Just watching how they handle practice and approach practice and meetings every day is a definitely a big thing that separates them from the rest. Just watching their skillsets, their footwork and their ball skills, it’s definitely helped a lot.”

As for the type of tight end Delp will become, Hartley says that’s still to determined for the four-star recruit ranked No. 2 in the nation at the position in the 2022 class.

“Oscar Delp is immensely talented,” Hartley said. “It’s hard to play as a freshman in this league. It’s hard to play as a freshman in this league at tight end. That just shows you what Brock did was unbelievable.”

Delp described his skillset this way:  “I try to bring everything I can to the table. I think I have a little bit of both that they have. I do what they tell me to do. That’s what I’m here for. I’ve learned a lot. Before I got here, I was not a very strong blocker. I’ve been growing in that area. Hopefully I can keep growing.”

Delp was among blockers to help clear space during Kendall Milton’s 11-yard touchdown run against Ohio State and sealed the edge on Stetson Bennett’s 3-yard touchdown run when left tackle Broderick Jones pulled to block.

Washington’s status for Monday’s national championship game against TCU in Ingelwood, Calif., is unclear.

“Darnell is getting treatment,” quarterback Stetson Bennett said. “He's resting up. And hopefully he'll be good to go. … But if he can't go, then we'll just have other people step up. That's the way it works here.”

Delp said he hopes to play at 245 pounds next season and be able to be used as an in-line tight end and also move around as a receiving threat.

“Oscar has all the talent in the world,” Hartley said, “to continue the tradition of tight end success that we’ve had here the last couple of years.”

Delp calls this season a learning one that’s “been a big year of growth for me. I think it’s most I’ve ever grown in a season of football. I’ve learned a lot from Coach Hartley, Darnell and Brock. Hopefully I can contribute next year way more than I did. It will be a fun year.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: UGA turns to freshman Oscar Delp for an injured Darnell Washington