ATHENS — Todd Hartley understands the challenges with having a talented tight end room.

It isn’t just built around one guy, like perhaps it was with Brock Bowers in 2023. Between Oscar Delp, Lawson Luckie and a handful of players looking to break through, he knows there’s only one football to go around.

“Can you make the play when your number is called,” Hartley said prior to the game against Notre Dame. “They all want more. They want more catches. They want more touches. They want more yards. And there’s only one football. And with the amount of skill you have on our offense and the guys you’re bringing in, it’s hard to get the ball to everybody as much as they want.”

Georgia’s tight ends had a curious 2024 season. The task of replacing Bowers was always going to be a difficult one. No one expected Delp, Luckie or Benjamin Yurosek to replicate what Bowers gave the Bulldogs.

In wins, the tight ends found a way to make positive impacts. The tight ends combined for 3.9 receptions and 50.6 yards in those wins, scoring six touchdowns.

But in games Georgia lost, the tight end production was non-existent. Those same tight ends, as talented as they are, averaged just 0.5 receptions and 5.5 yards. The lone touchdown came via Luckie in the defeat to Alabama.

Georgia won 11 games and lost three in 2024 so it’s no surprise that the raw numbers are greater in the former than the latter. It also shouldn’t come as a shock that Georgia’s tight ends were more impactful in the game they won than the ones the Bulldogs lost.

But it’s also a reminder of what Georgia has in the tight end room. And why it’s important to keep them involved in the offense, especially as the Bulldogs have upgraded the wide receiver position this offseason via the transfer portal and recruiting.

Delp and Luckie return, eager to build off what they did this past season. In addition to being pass catchers for whoever Georgia’s new quarterback will be, the two also figure to be important leaders for Georgia in 2025.

Given the talent in Georgia’s tight end room, it’s still likely to play three tight ends. Yurosek is off to the NFL, creating an opening in Georgia’s rotation.

Many might expect talented freshmen Elyiss Williams and Ethan Barbour to come in and compete for Yurosek’s role right away.

But Georgia sees Jaden Reddell and Colton Heinrich return for their second season in Athens.

Delp and Luckie made jumps in their respective seasons and Hartley wouldn’t be surprised if either does so for the Georgia offense.

“Human nature tells you to wonder,” Hartley said of Reddell and Heinrich. “Human nature tells you to think about other things, but they haven’t. They’ve approached each day like they’re gonna be the guy, even though they’re not playing on the weekend. I’m very proud of where they’re at.”

Both ended up redshirting this past season. It will be a pivotal spring for both players as they’re no longer wide-eyed freshmen, but second-year players looking to help Georgia’s tight end room.

The Bulldogs will be counting on the room to help the offense in 2025. Both proven players like Delp and Luckie to go along with some of the younger names in the room.