Making plays as a freshman, Nauta hasn’t forgotten his Buford roots
Three consecutive state championships, playoff heroics and a community that spends each and every Friday night at the high school stadium cheering to the tune of the "Gloryland" anthem.
Those are just a few highlights throughout the three-season tenure Georgia tight end Isaac Nauta had at Buford.
After deciding to transfer to IMG Academy for his senior season, an opportunity earned due to three years of outstanding play on the gridiron, it was a unique situation for Nauta as the small-town feel of Buford didn’t exist for him in Bradenton, Florida.
"A lot of people don't realize it is tough being away from what's normal," Nauta said in February. "I was missing things like my car, stuff like that. Obviously, that all fades away and is a part of the maturing process. But just being away from my family and not having them be able to come to games -- it's definitely a good thing to be close to home and have them involved in me playing football."
That’s the reason he chose to spend the next few years 48 miles from where his roots lie. It’s home.
Nauta was split between Alabama, Georgia and Michigan in terms of where he would spend his collegiate career. Each program had their unique spin to Nauta, but he chose Georgia for that simple reason.
"Being away from home really taught me a lot of life lessons in how to grow up and deal with things on your own," Nauta said. "A lot of guys don't realize how hard that is, and they realize it as soon as they enroll. It definitely helped. That's the main reason that made me want to come back to Georgia."
Thus far as a freshman, Nauta has gathered 124 yards and a touchdown at the season’s midway point, and it is seen nationwide why two former five-stars, Nauta and freshman quarterback Jacob Eason, were priority targets for head coach Kirby Smart and staff.
The Eason-to-Nauta connection has been crisp early on, as shown by the 50-yard score down the middle of the field against Tennessee. Georgia will look for that connection to continue for seasons to come.
Nauta’s success can be traced back to his early prep days, where he spent his first three seasons hauling in passes at Tom Riden Stadium.
The Georgia tight end was taught by Drew Anthony, his position coach at Buford, who discussed his days at the prep level and the recent success of his former student-athlete.
Nauta entered Buford’s program in the eighth grade and dominated through the Gwinnett County youth league level, which serves as a pipeline to the varsity program.
A younger Nauta stepped in the weight room during his first few days as a high school student, and the possibilities for the 6-foot-4, 246-pound tight end were limitless.
"He was different, with a unique physicality for a 15-year-old," Anthony said. "I realized he had a high potential."
Buford’s program is known for being a powerhouse, so it’s no easy task for a young player to become one of the team’s go-to players almost immediately. The program’s prestige is evident by the history of claiming 11 state championships since 1978. In addition to the winning resume under head coach Jess Simpson, who has a 138-8 record entering his 20th season at the helm, the program is known for developing Division I talent, like Nauta.
Within Georgia’s program alone, Buford has been a pipeline for a few of the Bulldogs’ most dependable players. Offensive linemen Dallas Lee (class of 2009) and Kolton Houston (class of 2010), and Mikey Henderson, who is known for his game-winning catch in 2007 against Alabama.
Despite the difficulty to earn an early opportunity, the physicality was seen with Buford’s staff gave him the chance to make a difference.
Nauta was known for his receiving abilities as a tight end, but what goes unnoticed are the contributions made on the defensive side as a pass rusher. During his freshman season, Nauta had 20 total tackles, one sack, 17 quarterback pressures and two forced fumbles.
Anthony credits his defensive performance to assistant coach Bryan Rogers, who coached Nauta and Buford’s defensive ends.
"He was great as a two-way player and Coach Rogers was great with that," Anthony said. "Honestly, I think (defensive line coach Tracy Rocker) and Georgia could use him, just because he’s such a good player."
Being home gives those close to him the opportunity to watch him play. Anthony was given the chance to attend the Tennessee game, which was highlighted by Nauta’s 83-yard, one-touchdown performance. Anthony saw a correlation to Nauta’s performance that day and his games at Buford during crucial times.
"I was excited for him because he did so well as a big-game player at Buford," Anthony said. "And I know that was a big game for him. It was just obvious that he becomes a different player."
From spring practice to now, Nauta has gone from an unproven freshman to becoming a dependable target.
"They’re using him as a playmaker after he felt his way out after the first few games and learning what it’s like to play college football." Anthony said. "After an up-and-down spring, you can see the improvements he’s made and I think that’s due to being a practice player. When Georgia was faced with third-and-game or fourth-and-game, (Eason) was looking for him."
Two seasons after coaching the top overall tight end in the nation, Anthony has been able to look at things a bit differently than he did when he was coaching Nauta on a daily basis.
As expected with any freshman talent, Anthony said that the highs and lows of playing at the collegiate level are evident. And with Georgia basing its offense on the talented running back stable of Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Brian Herrien, Anthony looks for improvement to take place where the Bulldogs need it most.
"He’s gotten faster, and has always been a good route runner," Anthony said. "He needs to improve his run blocking, but I know there’s a learning curve with everything they’re throwing at him. Everything wasn’t perfect (against Tennessee), and I could tell, although he had an impressive performance."
Smart dove into Nauta’s performance after Georgia’s loss to Tennessee and echoed Anthony’s words. But Smart justified Nauta’s blocking due to the competition he’s now facing.
"I think Isaac has grown as a player," Smart said. "He’s got to continue to get better as a blocker and more physical as a blocker. He can improve in that area. He catches the ball well. He works hard. I think each one of those tight ends have got to block better. When you look at every tight end in the SEC, you know what you say? ‘Oh, he’s not a great blocker. Oh, he’s not a great blocker.’ Well it’s because they’re blocking pretty good players."
Nauta has received support from his former program through his ups and downs of a freshman season.
And while he’s two seasons removed from Buford, that support is reciprocated as he follows up on his former team as well.
"He’ll text us to either check in or wish us luck ahead of a big game, which is great to see," Anthony said. "In return, I definitely support him, telling him to stay levelheaded, humble, to keep working and not to do anything stupid that would be an embarrassment to himself, his family or the program, because I know the opportunity lies (in Athens)."
Nauta enters the collegiate ranks as one of the most highly-regarded recruits at his position to arrive at Georgia in quite some time. Prior to choosing Georgia, Nauta was an invitee to national showcase games, rated as a five-star prospect and held 40 college offers.
As a result of those accolades and the playing time he’s receiving, Anthony understands that plenty of attention comes with that.
He continued to say that if Nauta is to remain as attentive as he did as a high school freshman, he believes that he could have a bright future and obtain unlimited potential.
"He can be anything he wants to be, because he’s got all of the tools and loves football," Anthony said. "He’s got high expectations and he even used to remember each pass he dropped."
This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Making plays as a freshman, Nauta hasn’t forgotten his Buford roots."