ATHENS, Ga. - The Georgia Bulldogs are thin at tailback this spring, lack pizazz at receiver, are a long way from naming a starting quarterback and have to replace three starting offensive linemen from January's TaxSlayer Bowl.
One area on offense that isn't riddled with questions or concerns is at tight end, where Jeb Blazevich, Jackson Harris and Jordan Davis provide returning experience for new Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart, new offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and new tight ends coach Shane Beamer. Also at the position is Isaac Nauta, the No. 1 tight end nationally in the 2016 signing class who enrolled in January.
"If you ask me, I think we've had this every year," Blazevich said. "That's the great part about Georgia - there is always a great set of tight ends. We had Coach (John) Lilly, who was a great coach, and now we have Coach Beamer, who is another great coach. I just think tight ends and those who coach tight ends are drawn to this place.
"We all push each other, and we all connect really well."
The Bulldogs practiced Thursday for two hours in full pads and will hold their second scrimmage Saturday.
Blazevich, a 6-foot-5, 248-pounder from Charlotte, N.C., is Georgia's most proven tight end with 26 career games played, including 22 starts. He has 33 catches for 413 yards and three touchdowns in his two-year career.
Davis is a year older than Blazevich, having redshirted in 2013, but the 6-4, 235-pounder from Thomson, Ga., has four catches in 10 career games. Harris enrolled early last year out of Columbia, Tenn., and played in 12 of 13 games, with the 6-6, 247-pounder catching four throws for 50 yards.
Blazevich's numbers were down slightly last season from the year before on an offense that struggled to get much going aerially, but Chaney has a knack for getting the most out of his tight ends. Chaney spent last season as the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Panthers but previously coached in the Southeastern Conference with Arkansas (2013-14) and Tennessee (2009-12).
"Part of the reason I was so intrigued about hiring him was the way he used those tight ends so well," Smart said. "He really uses those guys and flexes them out, and he uses them to chip and help out the tackles. He's really creative with the way he uses the tight ends.
"We're going to have a talented group that he can use in a lot of ways and trick defenses."
Smart was Alabama's defensive coordinator in 2014, when the Crimson Tide traveled to Fayetteville and pulled out a 14-13 win. The starting tight end for the Razorbacks was Hunter Henry, who won last season's Mackey Award, and their backup was A.J. Derby, who got loose for a 54-yard touchdown that put Arkansas up 13-7.
"He outran one of our safeties (Eddie Jackson) for a touchdown," Smart said.
Smart is pleased with the pass-catching abilities of Georgia's tight ends so far this spring, but he is not as thrilled with their blocking. He insists they must improve at the point of attack to help the Bulldogs become more formidable at running the ball.
Georgia's tight ends are excited about their potential under Chaney, provided they can keep up.
"He is lining us up in a lot of different places right now," Harris said.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6524.