Georgia Bulldogs TE Jay Rome named to Mackey Award watch list
By Brad Rowland
Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs have had a great deal of success with developing tight ends, and the next in a long line of quality options could be rising junior Jay Rome. In that vein, Rome has been named the preseason watch list for the 2014 Mackey Award, which will be given to the nation’s top tight end.
Georgia's Jay Rome on the watch list for the Mackey (tight ends) Award. If Rome had not made the watch list, he could win the award anyway.
— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) July 8, 2014
The past two starting tight ends for the Bulldogs, Arthur Lynch and Orson Charles, have developed into NFL options, and while Rome doesn’t possess quite the same pedigree, the skill level is there. At 6-foot-6 and 254 pounds, Rome is athletic enough to catch the ball down the field, and while the production isn’t stellar (20 total catches over two seasons), he will be given every opportunity to grow in the role after recovering from foot surgery during the off-season.
In all honesty, Jay Rome likely won’t compete for the Mackey Award, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him blossom at “Tight End U” in his first season as the top option.