Georgia tight end Darnell Washington (0) and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers (19) celebrate Bowers’ touchdown. The University of Georgia football team leads Kent State University 26-13 at halftime at Sanford Stadium in Athens on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.

Leading up to the 2023-24 college football season season, Red & Black assistant sports editor Bo Underwood will count down the top 10 Georgia players at each individual position.

10. Troy Sadowski (1985-88)

Troy Sadowski’s career receiving numbers pale in comparison to everyone else on this list, as he caught only 42 passes in his four year career, but he was renowned for his blocking.

Sadowski helped pave the way for several decorated Georgia runners in the late 1980s, such as Rodney Hampton, Lars Tate and Tim Worley. He was an All-American in 1988 and went on to play almost a decade in the NFL. Not bad for a blocking specialist.

9. Darnell Washington (2020-22)

There hasn’t been another athlete like Washington to play tight end at Georgia, or perhaps anywhere else. The Las Vegas native stands at a hulking 6-foot-7, 265 pound frame, yet ran a 4.64 second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.

At Georgia, Washington was essentially an extra offensive lineman who still had the speed and athletic ability to make defenses pay as a pass-catcher. He didn’t get many receiving opportunities due to both injuries and the emergence of Brock Bowers, but Washington still caught 45 passes for 774 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons. He flashed elite red zone ability and was an elite blocker for two championship teams.

8. Benjamin Watson (2001-03)

Watson transferred to Georgia after one year at Duke in 1999 and immediately made an impact. In his three years suiting up for Georgia, he caught 65 passes for 852 yards and six touchdowns.

His stats don’t jump off the page, but Watson made some huge plays for the Bulldogs, catching a touchdown in both SEC championship games during his time with the team. He was named second team All-SEC as a senior, and went on to play in the NFL for 15 years.

7. Larry Brown (1995-98)

Brown was a multi-sport athlete who suited up for Georgia on both the gridiron and the basketball court.

On the field, he was an imposing blocker at 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds and hauled in 80 catches for 1,077 yards and six touchdowns, both of which were second most in Georgia history for a tight end at the time of his departure. Brown was also tied for the most starts in Georgia history by a non-kicker with 46 when he graduated.

He was one of Georgia’s most reliable players in the late 1990s, and one of the best two-sport athletes in school history.

6. Leonard Pope (2003-05)

Leonard Pope stood at 6 foot 7, 255 pounds, and is the only tight end on this list who rivals Darnell Washington in terms of size. He only caught one pass as a freshman, but made his presence felt in his final two years of college. Pope’s massive frame and catch radius made him a threat to catch just about anything thrown in his general direction, and he caught 64 passes for 1,023 yards and 10 touchdowns in his last two years as a Bulldog. When Pope left Georgia, he had the school record for most receiving yards and touchdowns by a tight end in a two-year span. He went on to become a third round draft pick and spent seven years in the NFL.

5. Richard Appleby (1973-75)

As it stands now, Richard Appleby is the only tight end to lead the team in receiving for three years in a row. While Bowers is closing in, Appleby is in a club of his own. A receiving threat long before most tight ends were seen as legitimate weapons, he was moved to wide receiver as a sophomore before the team realized how valuable he was as both a blocker and pass-catcher.

Appleby is responsible for one of the most memorable trick plays in program history, when he threw a touchdown pass on an end-around to Gene Washington that secured a 10-7 victory over Florida in 1975. Appleby caught 48 passes for 902 yards and six touchdowns in his career, and helped build the foundation for some of the modern tight ends who succeeded him.

4. Shannon Mitchell (1990-93)

Shannon Mitchell saw the field early as a freshman and eventually became a four-year starter for the Bulldogs. He was a tenacious blocker who consistently helped open up running lanes for legendary Georgia running back Garrison Hearst. Mitchell was also a reliable receiving option who finished his four year career with 99 catches for 1,146 yards and five touchdowns.

He had an excellent senior season in 1993, where he racked up nearly half of his career receiving yards with 539 on the year. That same year, he set a Georgia school record that still stands today when he hauled in 15 passes against Florida.

3. Randy McMichael (1997-2001)

Randy McMichael might be even higher on this list if not for injuries. He only played one game in 1997 due to an injury in his thumb, and didn’t play at all in 1998 because of a knee injury. Once he finally made it back to the field, McMichael was as solid as they come. Over his three years, he caught 90 passes for 1,213 yards and five touchdowns. McMichael was also a great blocker thanks to his 6-foot-3, 248-pound build and remarkable athleticism.

McMichael made the All-SEC Freshman Team in 1999, All-SEC First Team in 2001, and finished his career as Georgia’s ninth all-time leading receiver. He is known for his dramatic touchdown catch off a deflected pass— while in double coverage— against the Drew Brees led Purdue Boilermakers in the final minutes of the 2000 Outback Bowl. The score tied the game and helped Georgia make a 25-point comeback. McMichael would go on to play in the NFL for a decade and is one of Georgia’s best post-injury success stories.

2. Orson Charles (2009-11)

Orson Charles was a high school teammate of Aaron Murray in Tampa, Florida and joined his quarterback in Athens. There, he set a then-school record for receiving yards by a tight end. Charles caught 94 passes for 1,370 yards and 10 touchdowns as a Bulldog, and was a finalist for the Mackey Award in 2011, which is given to the nation’s best tight end. He is one of the most anticipated tight end recruits to ever hit Georgia’s campus, and his connection with Murray helped the quarterback become the SEC’s all time leading passer.

Charles made the All-SEC team twice and will always have a place in certain Georgia fans’ hearts after he accidentally knocked over and shattered a Florida national championship trophy while on a recruiting visit in high school. Charles was an elite athlete with a knack for getting open, and went on to play seven years in the NFL after turning pro.

1. Brock Bowers (2021-now)

The best tight end in Georgia history is still on the team, which head coach Kirby Smart and Georgia fans are likely ecstatic about. Bowers arrived at Georgia and immediately rewrote the tight end record book, posting staggering career totals of 119 receptions, 1,824 yards and 20 touchdowns in just two years.

He has been Georgia’s top receiving option for both of its back-to-back national championship teams, and has a bevy of awards to his name including the 2021 SEC Freshman of the Year, the 2022 Mackey Award and two All-American nods. Bowers has speed and route-running ability never before seen in a Georgia tight end and with at least another year left of college football, it’s not unreasonable to predict that he will go down as not only the best tight end in Georgia history, but perhaps in all of college football. Georgia has never had a weapon quite like Bowers.