For the last couple of months, one narrative has been trending for the Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart. And what’s that? The head coach who lost 18 players and a hefty $5 million. Yes, you read that right. The transfer portal has been too brutal for Smart’s squad. Georgia lost 15 players to the transfer portal during the winter window. Then came the spring portal, and Smart and Co. ended up losing three more, making the count rise to 18 departures.

Just when Smart might have thought that things couldn’t get any worse, the Bulldogs’ NIL numbers came forward. Stepping into 2025, the Bulldogs lost a $5 million NIL fortune, and now, as per On3 reports, their adjusted value stands at $4.3 million. So, in case Smart is looking for a moral boost, he can find one by looking at his existing players’ roster. An analyst came up with his list of the top five tight ends in the SEC. Surprisingly, all belong to Smart’s squad.

The University of Georgia’s tight end room is poised for an exciting and potentially breakthrough year. With talented athletes like Oscar Delp and Lawson Luckie returning, 2025 could be a season Smart is going to refer to as a successful year in seasons to come. On the June 12th episode of the Cube Show: Presented by Wickles Pickles podcast, host Cole Cubelic sang high praise of Smart, the recruiter. The analyst highlighted, “The number one tight end room in the SEC, probably no big surprise for anybody here. It’s the Georgia Bulldogs. Oscar Delp, a proven commodity, man. Top to bottom, left to right, up down, select start BA-BA. He’s got every bit of it all right.”

Cubelic continued, “He can get in there, and he can work physically at the line of scrimmage, be in line, he can split out, he knows how to operate in the screen game, catch and run, he’s fine there. He might not be overly dynamic or devastating in any individual facet of his game, but he is solid across the board. He’s one of those just football players that checks every single box.”

Delp is the standout tight end who has already made a name for himself. He appeared in all 14 games, starting 10 times, and caught two passes for 45 yards, including a career-long 43-yard strike from Carson Beck. In the whole season, he came up with 248 total yards. Now, who is the next Smart’s tight end that scored gold stars? 

Adding to the depth of the tight end room is Luckie, who had a solid 2024 season with 26 receptions for 357 yards. He brings his versatility and skill set, making him a matchup nightmare for defenses and bolstering Smart’s tight end room. Cubelic said, “Lawson Luckie right there, with him who probably is a little bit more dynamic, probably is a little bit more athletic. We saw the SEC championship game over there on the sidelines, the amazing catch. 26 for 357 and four touchdowns last year. Those two are going to be a heck of a one-two punch.”

Luckie went viral for a 31-yard catch in the season opener vs. Clemson in the Aflac Kickoff Game. He also helped Smart’s squad, hauling in a 33-yard catch in the SEC home opener against Auburn. Now, is that enough?

Definitely not. The analyst is counting on the newcomers, such as Jaden Reddell, Elyiss Williams, and Ethan Barbour. After all, the bar for Smart’s tight end room is too high. Thanks to Georgia’s most notable tight end, Brock Bowers. In Athens, Smart’s former tight end racked up 2,731 yards and 175 receptions in three seasons. Now that Georgia’s tight end room is promising a blockbuster chapter, it fuels Smart’s motivation to shut off his haters. And how is he doing it?

Kirby Smart blesses Georgia with a summer recruiting surge 

Smart is spreading waves on the recruiting trail. Doubts prevailed about Georgia’s recruiting hunt this season after they witnessed a sharp fall in the NIL valuation. However, Smart has brilliantly put the doubts to rest. Even though they missed landing the five-star offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell, the slip did not dampen their spirit. Instead, Smart’s Bulldogs proved that they are still a powerhouse. Want to know the count of their recent recruiting gains?

Georgia has had seven top-tier recruiting commits since the start of May. Three commits shut down their recruitment, going all-in on Georgia in the last week (June 2-June 9) alone. Some of the latest additions include Zachary Lewis, Zykie Helton, and Wade Register. As A to Z Sports college football analyst Travis May shared, “If there were any doubts about Georgia Bulldogs recruiting maintaining momentum as College Football moves into the revenue sharing era, they have all been silenced now. Kirby Smart recognized the team’s lack of depth throughout the last two offseasons and he’s doing something about it. Georgia’s dynasty is here to stay if they keep recruiting like this.”

Right now, Kirby Smart must be on cloud nine. Just in the last 48 hours, three of the Bulldogs’ top commits, wide receiver Brady Marchese, cornerback Justice Fitzpatrick, and safety Jordan Smith, officially shut down their recruitments. They have also won back the trust of the 5-star quarterback Jared Curtis, months after his decommitment.

Here comes another piece of good news revolving around their hot 4-star EDGE recruit, Khamari Brooks. On June 11, Hayes Fawcett confirmed, “NEWS: Four-Star EDGE Khamari Brooks is down to Alabama and Georgia, he tells me for @on3recruits.” Smart’s recruiting train doesn’t stop — it only knows full throttle.