UGA Football's Oscar Delp Isn't Wasting Any More Time| UGA Football's Next Great Tight End
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CUMMING - West Forsyth tight end Oscar Delp was pretty sure he was wasting his time. Then again, Delp, like the rest of America, had more time to waste than usual.
It was July 11th, 2020, and navigating the pandemic was just starting. It was also the first day I saw the future Georgia Bulldog.
A promising tight end with a big frame, Delp was a no-offer unknown prospect. He was competing at a local “Forsyth County Football Combine” and was only a few weeks away from his junior season.
It was a non-ideal time to start the stretch run of your recruiting season. But when you are as good as Delp is, you make things become ideal. That happened when Delp torched Mays with several big catches and a long touchdown in the first game of his junior season.
Delp wouldn’t need to waste his time at local combines anymore. A few days after his season-opening performance, Michigan assistant coach Sherrone Moore offered. It wasn’t just a big deal because of Michigan’s place in the world of football. It was meaningful because Oscar’s father Chris grew up in Michigan and pulled for the Wolverines.
The offer meant a lot to the Delp family. They knew it was the first big domino to fall in Oscar’s recruitment. It would not be the last. Georgia’s Todd Hartley followed with an offer to play in Silver Britches on September 19th.
“Coach Hartley told me before now that he wanted to offer me, but he wanted to build a strong relationship first,” Delp said at the time. “We have been talking every week and developed a great relationship. When I got the news I was very excited and thrilled because I have been waiting so long to hear those words.”
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Now everyone was after Delp - Stanford, Florida and his mother’s alma mater South Carolina were all after the big-play tight end. But Hartley’s relationship with Delp and his family was going to be a lot to overcome. One insider at the time said that it would be “shocking” if Delp went somewhere other than Georgia. That’s why it wasn’t super surprising when Delp publicly committed to the Dawgs in 2021.
Georgia was about to take off - a national-title season was underway. Delp would make a big impact a year later to hoist the Dawgs’ second national title in as many years. Now the Dawgs need Delp more than ever to hang another banner.
Run Fast and Carry a Big Stick
Growing up in Forsyth County, Delp had always been one of the biggest kids in his grade. His parents saw his talent and abilities when he was young. Delp flashed pure athleticism playing lacrosse. In football, Delp was big and fast. In lacrosse, he was big, fast, and had a stick - a terrifying combination for teenagers trying to deal with him.
From success at Midway Park all through Vickery Middle School, Delp was becoming a player to watch in the area. And as he was growing up he learned how to win. By the time he was playing at West Forsyth, Delp had gotten used to being a villain of sorts in local high school football - something he seemed to relish.
The win over Mays jumpstarted Delp’s recruitment, but halfway though the season his team was in a funk. West Forsyth was 2-3 by late October, and it felt like the season was on the line the week of the South Forsyth game.
Delp did all he could to help his Wolverines win that game. Nine receptions. 172 yards. Two touchdowns. West would need all Delp could give them to beat their cross-town rival in double overtime. The victory jumped started a seven-game win streak that ended in the state quarterfinals.
It was only the second time in school history West Forsyth had gotten that far in the playoffs. In 2021, Delp was named All-State for his performance on the field. He was considered the consensus No. 1 tight end prospect in the country by recruiting services.
With his time in high school over, Delp signed with UGA and enrolled early because of the relationship with Hartley.
“Todd Hartley recruited Oscar and our family better than anyone,” one source close to the Delps said. “It wasn’t even close.”
That decision turned out to be the most stable of his options. Eric Kimrey, South Carolina's tight ends coach at the time, is no longer at South Carolina. Jay Harbaugh, Michigan’s tight end coach at the time, is no longer at Michigan. The same can be said for Florida’s Tim Brewster and everyone else who was seriously in the mix to sign Delp.
Hartley’s Unquestioned Leader
Now Hartley wants Delp to grow in his final seasons at UGA the way he did his final two at West Forsyth.
“The biggest growth I've seen from Oscar is from a maturity standpoint and from a leadership standpoint. He's always been here with Brock (Bowers) and Darnell (Washington), so he's never really had to assume the role of leading the room. And when you've never done that before, you don't know how they'll respond when they're put in that situation,” Hartley said of Delp.
Delp started ten games in 2023 and ended last year with 24 catches for 284 yards. He added three touchdowns. His best game came against No. 14 Missouri when he had three catches for 33 yards with one of those being a touchdown in UGA’s 30-21 win over the Tigers.
“Oscar is the unquestioned leader of our room,” Hartley added. “The growth in his leadership ability and the growth in his maturity has been the most pleasant surprise for us. And that's really what we needed in that room and in our offense.”
“It definitely wasn’t something that I was forced into,” Delp said of his larger role in leading the Dawgs. “I think it just kind of happened over time. You can tell when a guy’s down and a young guy kind of struggles a little bit or you know just having a rough day. Just kind of little things like that where an older guy who helps you out can change your whole mood and change your whole day.”
The No. 1 Dawgs take on No. 14 Clemson in the season opener in Atlanta in a few days, and Kirby Smart's Bulldogs will need Delp.
"He's a leader by action," Kirby said of Delp. "We're asking Oscar to be Oscar, which is extremely physical, extremely tough, extremely dependable. I don't know that he's missed a practice since being here. He doesn't necessarily have to lead by what he says, although he does speak up. He leads by his actions, and I appreciate his work ethic."
Oscar Delp certainly isn't wasting time any more.
