Former Stanford tight end Benjamin Yurosek is transferring to Georgia following a four-year career with the Cardinal. Yurosek, who is the No. 6 tight end in 247Sports' transfer rankings, is a huge get for the Bulldogs, who needed an experienced tight end to replace star and expected first-round NFL Draft pick Brock Bowers.
"Obviously Georgia has the best of both worlds," Yurosek told ESPN. "They have big-time football and the use of tight ends."
A graduate transfer, Yurosek was seen as a potential 2024 NFL Draft pick before an injury riddled 2023 season sidelined his professional hopes. He emerged as one of the nation's best tight ends from 2021-22, starting in 23 games and tallying 92 receptions for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns.
His 15.3 yards per catch in 2021 ranked third among power-conference tight ends. Yurosek had a career-best performance to open the 2023 season, catching nine passes for 138 yards and a touchdown against Hawaii, but he suffered a shoulder injury in an Oct. 13 win against Colorado that caused him to shut things down for the rest of the year.
Yurosek should thrive in his role at Georgia with a good chance that his draft stock soars once more. The Bulldogs get more out of the tight end position than almost any school in the nation, as evidenced by Bowers' prolific career. The two-time Mackey Award winner had 2,538 yards receiving and 26 touchdowns in his three years at Georgia, far more than any other tight end in that span.
The Bulldogs also used Bowers as a ferocious blocker on running plays and even gave him some work out of the backfield, a role that Yurosek should be familiar with given his 14 career carries -- 11 of which came during the 2023 season.
Georgia loading up on skill talent
Georgia is often quite sparing with its use of the transfer portal, but coach Kirby Smart is combing the collegiate ranks to bolster his offense this offseason. Yurosek is the seventh overall transfer and fifth offensive weapon to join the Bulldogs ahead of the 2024 season.
Three of those additions are wide receivers, headlined by former Vanderbilt standout London Humphreys, who had 439 yards receiving and four touchdowns as a true freshman in 2023 and was the No. 15 overall transfer prospect and No. 4 wide receiver. The 6-foot-3 speedster should be able to stretch the field for veteran Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.
When Beck isn't throwing the ball, he'll be able to turn and hand it to one of the nation's best running backs in Trevor Etienne. The Florida expatriate, who is the transfer portal's No. 2 running back, brings a ton of versatility to Georgia's offense and gives the Bulldogs a shifty, agile runner to complement some of their more thunderous options.
