Georgia fans and people at a squat rack have one main thing in common; they want to see a tight end.
Luckily for all, Georgia boasts a solid TE room mixed with veterans and newcomers ready to make an impact when the 2026 season begins in just a few weeks.
The most notable and positive name in the group is Lawson Luckie, who returns for his senior year after posting 15 catches for 158 yards and 4 TDs last season. Mike Bobo is certainly Luckie to have a reliable veteran in the fold, especially one who has
shown the ability to make big plays when he’s needed. Luckie posted 3/4 of his TDs last season in the Ole Miss V1.0 game in Athens, each of which were needed to help secure the Dawgs’ one-possession win.
The big Senior out of Norcross, GA, coming in at 6’4” 240 lbs, is not a player you want to mess with nor cross, as he has the size and strength to certainly hold his own. This size helps in the running game, as Luckie is often tasked with blocking Defensive Ends and Outside Linebackers. Last season, he spent a considerable number of plays as the lead blocker on WR screens, of which Georgia fans are undoubtedly all too familiar.
This commitment to WR screens was frustrating to some, but opened up the “fake WR screen TE wheel route” play that seemed to work for at least one big gain every game. With the Screen Menace Branch now in the NFL, it will be interesting to see if this type of play is as potent as before.
If not, Mike Bobo et al. will have to come up with more creative ways to get Luckie the ball. His combination of size and speed makes him a mismatch, and like we said, any Offensive Coordinator would be Luckie to have him on their team.
With that being said, Luckie has career totals of 41 catches for 515 yards over three season, not necessarily numbers that jump out at you. But as one of only two returning players who had multiple TD receptions last season, he should have plenty of opportunity to improve upon those significantly.
The other big name to know in the TE room is Elyiss Williams. Not unlike real estate, the three most important words when talking about Elyiss Williams are “potential, potential, potential.” The towering 6’7” Sophomore returns after showing flashes in an overall quiet Freshman season. But in an offense that loves featuring 2-tight end sets, and with Oscar Delp now in the NFL, Williams should see the field much more often in 2026.
This aforementioned potential was on full display early in the Mississippi State game last season. On one first-quarter drive, he made an acrobatic, leaping catch on third down, then shoved a defender 5 yards back to pave the way for a Chauncey Bowens TD run.
Mike Bobo, like a young artist seeking inspiration, should look no further than the 2022 UGA offense to find ways to properly use Williams. That national title winning squad used fellow giant TE Darnell Washington perfectly, taking advantage of his agility and strength as a lead blocker on the perimeter, while using his frame and catch radius in the passing game.
Defenders hated seeing Big 0 rumbling full speed at them, and his consistent presence as a lead blocker wore teams down over the course of games, opening up lanes all over.
We saw the natural abilities and uncoachable size of Williams last season, but he needs to improve his blocking ability if he wants to be the offensive staple Georgia fans hope to see. He has the potential to completely open up the playbook in a way that’s been missing since Washington crossed the Allegheny into the NFL, and here’s to hoping that potential is realized.
Lastly but not leastly, and excuse my French, nous avons Kaiden Prothro. The electric young Freshman moves more like a WR but could be listed as a TE given he’s 6’6” and 210 lbs. Though it is hard to project ahead, the highlight reel and high school accolades hint at a promising collegiate career. Prothro enters college this year as the great state of Georgia’s all-time leading TD catcher, which not many others can say (none, to be specific).
Prothro certainly has a chance to make an impact from day 1, but Kirby has always been adamant that if you can’t block, you can’t play. Adjusting to the physical nature of SEC ball will be the biggest challenge for him in year 1, especially early, but if he is able to hold his own in the running game, then we could see some electric plays from the start.
The offensive coaching staff has a lot of interesting and complimentary pieces to play with this season when it comes to the TE position. While this room may not have a Brock Bowers, becuase no room ever will, there are players who are capable of impacting the game at multiple levels.
How the coaching staff chooses to use these chess pieces will be very interesting, and luckily, we are only a few weeks away from finding out.
