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Kirby Smart offers expectations for Oscar Delp, deflects Brock Bowers ‘speculation’
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
Kirby Smart and undefeated No. 1 Georgia will take on rival Florida this weekend. Leading up to the rivalry matchup, Smart addressed his expectations for Oscar Delp.
The sophomore tight end will be replacing star Brock Bowers in the lineup as the standout recovers from an ankle injury.
Last season, Bowers was a first-team All-American and recipient of the Mackey Award, which goes to the best tight end in the nation. Bowers leads Georgia this season with 41 receptions for 567 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Delp has tallied 13 receptions for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns this season.
In a recent press conference, Smart is attempting to take the pressure off Delp.
“Delp’s been fine. We’re not asking Delp to do anything different than he’s normally done, nor anybody on the team,” Smart said. “Brock’s been at walk throughs, he’s been out there with the team, some of last week, some of it different times.”
Smart added that he’s not going to add any further comments about the timetable for Bowers’ recovery. The typical timeline after the surgery Bowers had is 4-6 weeks, although some players have returned sooner or later than that.
“I’m not going to focus on that right now, I think that’s all speculation. I’m not getting into the speculation part of it,” Smart said. “Most important thing right now is our guys and getting prepared for Florida.”
Smart believes Delp has been greatly aided by the tight ends he’s worked with in practice since joining the program.
“I think being around Darnell (Washington) and Brock last year was a great learning tool for him because from the side of being a wide and physical blocker, he got to see Darnell and be around Darnell and he got to see Brock do the things he’s done,” Smart said.
Smart added that Bowers and Washington have been instrumental in the development of Delp.
“His growth has been good,” Smart said. “I don’t know that if he didn’t have those 2, he would be where he is because those 2 demanded that he do things right in order to get on the field. He had to earn the right to play and he’s earned that by how he’s practiced and how he’s played.”
Georgia leads the all-time series 54-44-2 with 2 straight wins against Florida. Georgia vs. Florida is slated for a 3:30 p.m. EST kickoff on Saturday from EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.
