Georgia Bulldogs: 5 players most likely to improve in 2016
By John Buhler
Needless to say, the receiving game of the Georgia Bulldogs to a giant leap backwards in 2015 under new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and former Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Greyson Lambert. Schottenheimer is now with the Indianapolis Colts as Andrew Luck’s quarterbacks coach and Lambert is coming of a 10-2 season as a starter, battling with both Jacob Eason and Brice Ramsey for the starting gig in 2016 at UGA.
While the Georgia Bulldogs haven’t been especially dynamic at wide receiver for the last several years, it was a bit shocking to see an obvious drop off in productivity from the tight end group. Jeb Blazevich seemed poised to become the next great tight end at Georgia after his strong freshman season in 2014.
However, the passing game’s overall regression made targeting tight ends in the middle of the gridiron almost impossible in 2015. That being said, I fully expect the Dawgs to get back to dominating in the passing game at the tight end position for several reasons and Blazevich will be an important part in that drastic improvement offensively.
The Georgia Bulldogs’ new offensive coordinator Jim Chaney is one of college football’s most versatile offensive minds. He’s run everything from air raid to ground-and-pound to a pro-style offense. When a Chaney offense is at its best, it gets the football to its best playmakers on key situations. While the rushing attack will again be a focal point of the offense, Georgia is very deep at tight end entering 2016.
Expect the starting quarterback to often target Blazevich, sophomore Jackson Harris, and freshman Isaac Nauta at tight end in games to get the passing game into rhythm. Nauta projects as a star wideout and Blazevich will reap the benefits of being a strong No. 2 tight end to Nauta in Chaney’s system in 2016.
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