In-depth scrutiny at Athens never ends. When G-Day wrapped with the defense looking a step ahead of the offense, the early narrative wrote itself. People thought Georgia might have an explosiveness problem again. But if you watch it again, a different story starts to unfold which shows that Kirby Smart may not have to worry. And it starts with a freshman who doesn’t play like one.

On a second viewing of G-Day, Dawgs Central’s Graham Coffey laid down his observations. 

“If we’re calling Kaiden Prothro a TE instead of a WR then UGA should probably never come out of 12 Personnel, may want to spend a good bit of time in 13, and are well within their rights to get in 14 situationally,” he wrote. 

That’s a structural problem for the defense because the Bowdon high school standout is a formation breaker. At 6’6, 230-pounds, Kaiden Prothro has an impressive catch radius with the ability to line up anywhere from inline to the slot or even out wide. He forces defenses to declare their intentions before the snap and no matter what they choose, Georgia has an answer waiting.

If Georgia splits out Kaiden Prothro alongside Elyiss Williams in the red zone and a defense dares to play man coverage, it’s over before the ball is snapped. So maybe you adjust and play zone, keep eyes on the QB, and try to limit the damage. That’s when the Bulldogs tighten the formation with a loaded room headed by position coach Todd Hartley.

“If you have two of Luckie/Reddell/Barbour in h-back or inline roles then the run game numbers in the box are a problem if you DON’T play man outside,” Coffey wrote. “If a defense subs in heavier personnel to deal with that, then one or multiple of those guys is toasting a LB for an easy TD.”

It’s a problematic situation. Stay light, and Georgia bludgeons you, get heavy, and they isolate you. And here is the part that should concern the rest of the SEC. 

“I think they have 5 TE’s who would start and be featured regularly almost anywhere else in college football,” Coffey added. “And the trickiest part is that most of them have interchangeable skillsets that could make tendencies really hard to nail down.”

Now, if you’re looking for proof, G-Day got it. With 3:18 left in the game, freshman QB Bryson Beaver threw into the end zone. Kaiden Prothro outplayed his defender by securing the catch and walked away with a six-yard score, his first in a red and black uniform. The moment didn’t change the final score but it still spoke volumes about his upside. 

“We think he’s a mismatch,” Kirby Smart said afterward. “He’s really an elite catch radius guy. He put that on display today. And that kind of summed up his spring in his ability to go make plays on the perimeter. He’s a matchup problem.”

That’s the truth but if you think he’s the only TE to make noise on G-Day, you’re wrong. 

Georgia’s TE room might be its real offensive engine

If Kaiden Prothro is the headline, Jaden Reddell is the proof that this isn’t a one-man show. He made significant improvement and turned in one of the most complete performances of G-Day, finishing with 61 total yards and a TD. At one point, he ripped off a 23-yard run behind a key block from Williams. Kirby Smart didn’t hold back in his assessment.

“I would say he was probably one of the most explosive, most improved players,” he said. “He played twitchy, he played fast. He played with a chip on his shoulder, and we had not seen that before out of him… He probably had three or four incredible plays throughout spring practice. He was just really consistent.”

Todd Hartley has built one of the most productive pipelines in the country, headlined by Brock Bowers’ historic run. Now, he might have his deepest room yet with key players like Lawson Luckie, Jaden Reddell, and Oscar Delp, among others. By the time September rolls around, Gunner Stockton won’t just be looking for a go-to WR. He’ll be part of an offense that’ll be a nightmare to opposing defenses.