John FitzPatrick excited for Jim Chaney to take a more 'hands-on' role with his position group

Georgia still has two hires to make in order to complete its coaching staff for the 2018 season. While nothing is set in stone, one signee said there could be a shift in some of the responsibility for at least one assistant.

Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney has doubled up as the quarterbacks’ coach over the past two seasons. With tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Shane Beamer off to Oklahoma, this could be a chance for Chaney to spend more attention to a position group he used to coach at the NFL level.

Marist tight end John FitzPatrick, who signed with Georgia in December, said he is of the understanding that Chaney will spend more time with his unit, although he hasn't heard that directly from Chaney himself yet.

"They’re figuring it out after signing day but Coach Chaney is going to work with tight ends for a little," FitzPatrick said prior to Thursday's Touchdown Club of Atlanta end-of-season banquet. "That’s what I’ve heard. I’ve heard he’s going to be more hands-on with the tight ends."

Chaney coached tight ends when he was an assistant with the then-St. Louis Rams in 2008. At previous stops, Chaney utilized the position in the passing game quite a bit.

In 2017, however, the tight ends were not used much at all in the passing game. Isaac Nauta led the position group with nine catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns. A lot of that had to do with the running game's success, which finished the 2017 season ninth in the nation at 258.4 yards per game.

Quarterback Jake Fromm distributed the ball primarily to receivers Javon Wims and Terry Godwin, which worked well in a season that ended with an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship. So while the tight ends weren't involved in the passing attack, it was never a topic that deserved scrutiny.

FitzPatrick comes from a triple-option offense at Marist and is well adept to blocking in the run game. While he, like any college tight end, would love to catch the ball, he said he's fine with whatever role the coaching staff asks him to do.

"There’s no complaints about how the tight ends are used," FitzPatrick said. "They have three tight-end sets, two tight-end sets in there on the field. So you’re a block-first tight end, and if you’re doing well blocking, then they’re going to use you in the passing game."

FitzPatrick said he averaged roughly five targets per game in Marist's option attack, which opened up a little more due to his ability as a receiving threat. At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, FitzPatrick looks the part of a tight end ready to compete at the next level. And although FitzPatrick was surprised by Beamer's decision to leave Georgia, he said head coach Kirby Smart reiterated to him that he committed to Georgia, not a coach on staff, and to work hard over the next five months.

While Georgia doesn't have a tight ends coach at the moment, FitzPatrick is more than ready to get on campus and begin working under Chaney.

“I love Coach Chaney. He’s a fantastic coach," FitzPatrick said. "I spent a lot of time with him on my official visit and throughout the whole process. I’m really excited to get to work with him."

This story was originally published January 26, 2018 at 12:01 PM with the headline "John FitzPatrick excited for Jim Chaney to take a more 'hands-on' role with his position group."