How does Georgia’s tight end room look with two potential departures?

At the conclusion of the regular season, Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney saw a statistic that caught his eye.

The offensive coordinator and tight ends coach noticed that most of the passes targeted to those in his position group resulted in catches. There weren’t many opportunities for the tight ends, but the efficiency when they did present themselves went slightly unnoticed.

“It was a very high, alarming rate, a little bit,” Chaney said.

Georgia’s main contributors at tight end, Isaac Nauta and Charlie Woerner, combined for 567 yards and three touchdowns (all from Nauta, the main receiving target at the position). It didn’t make up much of the offensive production statistically as the Bulldogs’ tight ends have a block-first mentality and rank third and seventh in receiving yards.

But, it’s an improvement from a season ago. Nauta and Woerner — Jackson Harris also contributed sparingly while at full health for a season — had a combined total of 214 yards and two touchdowns. Chaney, who has received his fair share of questioning from the Georgia fan base, hints at further progression.

“You would have to be a dummy to sit here and think you probably shouldn’t utilize that position a little bit more than we have in our offense,” Chaney said. “You can see that probably changing a little bit.”

Georgia players could see the benefit in it, too. At times, the tight ends are so honed in on blocking that offensive tackle Andrew Thomas said they’ll spend a practice period with the linemen and work on combination blocks.

When they’re able to receive passes, however, it could spark a drive. Georgia has displayed that through Nauta on numerous occasions this season, especially in a 2-minute situation. Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm found his big-bodied target on consecutive completions (as many as four) against Vanderbilt and Florida.

The reasoning is fairly simple: Georgia has a deep wide receiver group with plenty of options to throw to, so it might not be expected by a defense studying tape when a tight end leaks out for a pass.

“You don’t really see them getting the shine in the game, but they’re out there working their butts off for us,” wide receiver Terry Godwin said. “You see what they produce: 10-to-20 yards sometimes and they may even score. It helps us a lot if they do get in the receiving game, because you have that bigger body out there.”

After the final buzzer sounds at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in the late hours Tuesday night, the curtains fall on the 2018 season. It also means Georgia’s tight end situation is suddenly in flux.

Nauta, who was persistent on his Sugar Bowl focus in a Friday availability, has the option to declare for the NFL draft and some expect him to as a formerly-heralded five-star recruit. In addition, Luke Ford (a former five-star in the 2018 class and top-ranked player in Illinois) entered his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal after taking a brief absence from the team.

“What’s going to happen is going to happen in the future. I can’t anticipate that,” Chaney said. “You continue to recruit your butt off and do the best you can to put yourself in a position to have enough players in every position to be able to compete.”

Georgia is concerned about its depth headed into the 2019 season if the two aforementioned players decide to leave the program. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart indicated that he may need to find players at different positions to spend time with the tight ends. Ryland Goede, a four-star out of Kennesaw Mountain, was the Bulldogs’ lone tight end signee and is recovering from a torn ACL.

At the same time, while thin, the Bulldogs are pleased with their talent lower on the depth chart. There may not be a highly-regarded name that everyone knows next season like Nauta, but there is potential for production.

John FitzPatrick, a freshman who received plenty of stern criticism from Chaney in practice drills throughout the season, received praise from his coaches Monday. Smart indicated he had to spend time practicing at offensive tackle in the latter stages of the season due to injuries at the position.

“John FitzPatrick has made a bunch of plays. He’s had to do probably the toughest job on our team,” Smart said. “He’s grown and gotten better. I think when you put those two guys out there, they both have a chance to help us.”

For the guy throwing to the tight ends next season, he foresees the Bulldogs getting past the lack-of-depth. He also hopes the trend of an alarming statistic continues.

“They’re like my security blanket,” Fromm said.

This story was originally published December 31, 2018 at 4:03 PM.