It’s Brock Bowers and then everyone else. Sorry, SEC tight ends. As long as Bowers is healthy, that’s reality for the SEC tight end pecking order in 2023.

After that, though? Well, that’s anyone’s guess. Specifically, that’s my guess.

Jaheim Bell left for Florida State while Cameron Latu, Princeton Fant and Darnell Washington are off to the NFL. The only returning tight end besides Bowers who finished in the top 50 in the conference in receiving was LSU’s Mason Taylor.

That’s not to say that the league is without promising weapons at the increasingly significant tight end position. But it will certainly be some new blood vying for those All-SEC selections.

These are the 5 best candidates to be the best non-Bowers tight end in the conference:

Mason Taylor, LSU

We have to start with the most obvious name after an impressive true freshman season that included the game-winning 2-point conversion against Alabama. In a crowded group of LSU pass-catchers, Taylor developed a connection with Jayden Daniels, who is one of the few guys in the SEC who returns as a starter along with his offensive play-caller. Mike Denbrock featured Taylor a ton. I mean, the aforementioned 2-point conversion play alone was telling. It’s extremely rare to see a true freshman finish in the top 5 nationally in snaps among tight ends (843), though I suppose it helps to share DNA with former Miami Dolphins great Jason Taylor. While Taylor remains a work in progress as a blocker, he could very well establish himself as a solid No. 2 option behind likely preseason All-SEC receiver Malik Nabers.

CJ Dippre, Alabama

Dippre was quietly a nice addition after Alabama lost Latu. The former Maryland pass-catcher showed nice Year 2 improvement with 30 catches for 314 yards and 3 scores. Let’s also not forget who his new offensive coordinator is — Tommy Rees, AKA the play-caller who dialed up looks for All-American tight end Michael Mayer at Notre Dame. That’s not to say we should expect similar production out of Dippre, but Mayer played 62 snaps per game in 2022. For an Alabama team in search of some pass-catching help with a new starting quarterback, Dippre should have a prime opportunity to be featured prominently.

Oscar Delp, Georgia

I mean, I’d argue that Washington was the SEC’s No. 2 tight end in 2022. Why can’t another Georgia tight end fill that role alongside Bowers? Delp’s projection would be better if Todd Monken had returned to Athens for Year 4, but he should still get plenty of work in Mike Bobo’s offense. Delp played 149 snaps as a true freshman in the best tight end room in America. He won’t do all the things that Washington did because outside of (maybe) LeBron James, there aren’t a whole lot of human beings built like him. Still, though. With Bowers at the top of every scouting report, Delp could thrive in some 12 personnel (1 running back, 2 tight ends) sets and gobble up red-zone targets.

Trey Knox, South Carolina

There’s a world in which Knox finally has that breakthrough season to earn All-SEC honors at season’s end. Why? For starters, his new offensive coordinator is Dowell Loggains, who was his tight ends coach at Arkansas. Knox gets to replace Bell, and Austin Stogner transferred back to Oklahoma. There’s reason to believe that Knox and fellow incoming tight end transfer Joshua Simon (7 TDs last year at Western Kentucky) should feast in the red zone. The Gamecocks have an established deep threat in Juice Wells, who could play a pivotal role in opening up targets underneath for Knox. And on top of all of that, Knox has proven to be a nightmare to bring down in space during his up-and-down career so far. Consistency has always been Knox’s issue since making the mid-college switch from receiver to tight end, but in an offense that should feature the tight end more than Kendal Briles’ scheme, the former Hog could very well be the SEC East version of the aforementioned Taylor. That is, a dangerous No. 2 who’ll be catching passes from an established veteran quarterback.

Caden Prieskorn, Ole Miss

Here’s the list of returning FBS tight ends who had 600 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in 2022:

  • Brock Bowers, Georgia
  • Caden Prieskorn, Memphis

Mind you, even if we included NFL-bound tight ends on that list, the only other 2 who would’ve made the cut would’ve been Mayer and Utah standout Dalton Kincaid, both of whom could be Round 1 selections in this year’s NFL Draft. That’s elite company. The Memphis transfer will battle fellow former transfer Michael Trigg for reps on an Ole Miss team that didn’t really get a ton from the position in 2022. Granted, Trigg’s midseason injury played a significant part in that. It’s Trigg who has the connection with Jaxson Dart dating back to their USC days, but Prieskorn could benefit from a potential quarterback change if Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders wins the job. In 2022, Prieskorn was 6th among FBS tight ends with 839 snaps. In other words, he didn’t leave Memphis because of a lack of playing time or targets. He did so in hopes of playing on an even bigger stage in an offense that ideally gets tight ends heavily involved in the passing game.

And a wild card … Ryland Goede, MSU

When in doubt, bet on a Georgia tight end. Or in this case, bet on a former Georgia tight end. Goede is a wild card because he transferred to MSU and became the program’s first tight end on the roster since 2019 (he and his wife were the rare packaged deal because she’s set to play on the MSU volleyball team). That’s because Kevin Barbay’s offense demands a tight end presence while the late Mike Leach’s offense didn’t. Being buried on the UGA tight end depth chart is hardly an indictment of one’s ability. Goede is entering Year 5 of college, and he’s never had a catch (he played 48 snaps in 2022). He’s also playing for a quarterback in Will Rogers who has never even had the opportunity to target a tight end. But Barbay utilized 2-tight end sets at Appalachian State, and top tight end Henry Pearson actually lined up in the backfield on 21% of his 623 offensive snaps, so there’s reason to believe that Goede will have a diverse involvement in the offense.

Goede might not be an All-SEC candidate by season’s end, but given the scheme and the opportunity, don’t be surprised if he turns into one of the conference’s breakout players.