georgia football tight end cornerback 2023 roster

The Georgia football roster is going through changes. It’s not unexpected, given those are the waters national champions swim in, as Georgia saw Darnell Washington and Kelee Ringo declare for the NFL draft, while Ryland Goede and Jaheim Singletary both hopped in the transfer portal.

What’s interesting about the roster construction that took place on Thursday is that only two positions were impacted at cornerback and tight end. Both positions were strengths of the 2022 Georgia team that won the national championship last season.

Now, both will look different in 2023.

At tight end, Georgia still brings back its top option in Brock Bowers. He led the team in receptions, receiving yards and tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns. And he’s getting better all the time, somehow.

Beyond Bowers, there will be a lot of youth. Oscar Delp will be the second-most experienced player. He’ll only be a sophomore though he gained valuable experience in the team’s win over Ohio State when he subbed in for an injured Washington.

Delp knows this will be a big offseason for him, having a chance to really carve out a bigger role. Tight end coach Todd Hartley expects him to do so for the Bulldogs.

“I knew what I was getting myself into,” Delp said at the Peach Bowl Media Days. “I’m so glad with my decision. I think I learned more than I would’ve at any other school.”

Georgia is also bringing in reinforcements from the high school ranks, as the Bulldogs signed Lawson Luckie and Pearce Spurlin. Luckie is the No. 8 ranked tight end in the 2023 recruiting cycle, while Spurlin is No. 3. Both are already on campus, with Luckie getting to participate in bowl practices with Georgia.

“Very pleased with what I’ve seen out of Lawson so far,” Hartley said prior to the national championship game. “Has already shown a lot of people what he did in high school. A guy who is very versatile that you can put in a lot of positions. Very similar to what we did with Brock.”

Hartley may not be done adding to his tight end room either. Georgia is still heavily recruiting both Duce Robinson and Walker Lyons, the No. 1 and no. 5 tight end prospects in the 2023 cycle. Robinson is expected to announce his decision on National Signing Day, with Georgia trending in the right direction. Lyons will not enroll until the 2024 season at the earliest, as he is set to partake in his Mormon mission.

The tight end position being a strength for Georgia was a key reason the Bulldogs won it all in 2022. With Bowers back, it should be that once again. What else Georgia is able to get from the position will be up to the younger players in the room making bigger strides.

As for the cornerback position, Georgia brings back Kamari Lassiter as a starter. He started all 15 games in 2022 and is expected to be one of the key leaders on the 2022 team. He had 5.0 tackles for loss and four pass breakups as a sophomore.

Opposite Lassiter is expected to be one of the fiercest position battles of the offseason. Singletary was Georgia’s top-ranked defensive back signee in the 2022 signing class, but he played in just three games in 2022.

Coming out of the season, Daylen Everette seems to be in the best position to take Ringo’s place in the starting lineup. The freshman played in 14 games for Georgia this season and was normally the first cornerback off the bench.

Pushing Everette will be redshirt sophomore Nyland Green, sophomore Julian Humphrey and freshman A.J. Harris. Green made a couple of key plays for Georgia on special teams and is a valued member of the team.

Harris is the only one of Georgia’s three cornerback signees who could enroll early. Like Luckie, he was able to practice with the team during bowl practices. He is the No. 37 overall player in the class, per the On3 Consensus rankings.

“I mean, he loves football,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Harris during the early signing period. “Number one traits you look for now is how much do you love football, how much can you process information, because after you height, weight, jump, test everybody, it becomes what knowledge can you handle in between your ears? I think he is going to excel at that. He takes notes. He is very bright, and he wants it. He is hungry. That’s a part that I can’t coach into him.”

Daniel Harris and Chris Peal will join the team later this summer but it’s hard to see them factoring into the starting cornerback discussion this early in their respective careers.

Georgia’s roster isn’t done changing yet, as players have until Jan. 16 to declare for the NFL draft and Jan. 18 to enter the transfer portal. There will also be a second transfer portal window from May 1 through May 15. Georgia has already taken two players out of the transfer portal in wide receivers RaRa Thomas and Dominic Lovett.

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