Jaden Reddell’s breakout moment in Georgia’s season opener didn’t even count, and somehow it still managed to turn him into one of the first-week talking points in Athens.
Late in the third quarter against Tennessee State, Ryan Puglisi found the junior tight end, and Reddell went to work. He absorbed contact, spun free, slipped past more defenders, then muscled through another attempt before sprinting toward the end zone. A facemask penalty wiped the touchdown off the board, but the clip took off anyway, with one video of the sequence drawing 49,000 views on YouTube.
That kind of attention would have come with a lot of Brock Bowers comparisons in Athens, and Reddell knows it. He also knows that’s not the lane he wants to live in.
"I try not to pay really any attention to it, especially not comparing myself to Brock Bowers. He has a legacy here," Reddell said.
"I feel like I'm just getting started, really. So just like I kind of said earlier, just really just doing my job and not really focusing on that."
The path to this point looks nothing like Bowers’ did. Bowers was an immediate force.
Reddell, by contrast, spent his first two seasons learning the position after arriving as a high school wide receiver. Over those two years, he played in 18 games and caught 3 passes for 27 yards.
His most notable moment before this fall came on defense, when he knocked down Haynes King’s Hail Mary attempt last November.
A lot of players in that spot would have looked elsewhere. Reddell had no shortage of options in the transfer portal, but he stayed.
"Everyone has options to go other places, which it's like that nowadays. People just leave.
And I really just wanted to grow and develop here," Reddell said. "I came here to develop and play here, so me and my mom had lots of talks about it - waiting my turn."
That patience started to show this spring, when teammates were already buzzing about how much he had improved. He carried that momentum into fall camp and kept flashing in one of the deepest position groups on Georgia’s roster.
The opener gave another glimpse, even with the touchdown erased. Reddell finished with 1 reception for 29 yards, and Kirby Smart made it clear how far the tight end has come.
"I'll be honest with you: He wasn't what he needed [to be]. He wasn't ready to block.
He would tell you he wasn't physically ready. He wasn't mentally ready," Kirby Smart said.
"Man, has he flourished - flourished. When it comes to development, this guy is the embodiment of development.
And he's still getting better. So a lot of credit goes to Coach Hartley, a lot of credit goes to his mother, and most credit goes to him because he works his tail off every day.
I still think his best is ahead."
Georgia fans may be eager to see another Bowers-type star emerge, but Reddell isn’t the only tight end in the mix. He spoke highly of the room and said each player brings something different, with the talent level creating what he called "friendly competition" for playing time.
After two years of waiting, Reddell is finally in position to matter. He didn’t rush the process, and he doesn’t sound interested in doing that now.
"Even though it took two years, I'm happy I stayed and gave it a chance," Reddell said.
In Other News...
SEC Injury Reports Are Fueling A Debate Georgia Fans Will Notice
The SECs new injury reports have already become a talking point around the league, and Georgia fans are watching the ripple effects closely. LSUs report listed quarterback Sam Leavitt as doubtful for the upcoming game against Ole Miss, while Georgias own report for Arkansas included three players ruled out, among them linebacker Chase Linton. For a conference trying to standardize availability information, the early returns have given fans a lot to parse and plenty of reason to treat every update as part of the weeks strategy as much as the medical file.
Around the Georgia fan base, the bigger discussion is how much these reports should be trusted when game week can still bring surprises. Some fans are already skeptical of the doubtfulness tag attached to Leavitt, especially with Lane Kiffins history of moving pieces around in injury reports before kickoff. Even without a definitive answer yet, the reports have turned availability into another layer of SEC gamesmanship, and that is exactly the kind of detail Bulldogs followers will keep an eye on as the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Suddenly Has A Depth Concern Heading Into Arkansas
Georgias first SEC test arrives with a little more uncertainty than the Bulldogs probably wanted. Marcus Harrison has been ruled out for the opener, and that comes on top of the existing injury absences for safety Tyriq Green, cornerback Justice Fitzpatrick and outside linebacker Chase Linton, thinning out the kinds of depth spots teams usually need to trust in conference play.
Arkansas has its own personnel issues to sort through, with tight ends Maddox Lassiter and Hutson Hendrix sidelined and defensive back Brandon Ford listed as questionable. Even so, Georgia is the side absorbing the sharper hit to its rotation, and the question now is how the Bulldogs patch together enough reliable bodies before a matchup that can expose any weakness in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Buford Faces Early Test As Its Defense Tries To Carry The Standard
The early-season heavyweight matchup between Buford and Grayson carries the kind of weight that always makes Georgia high school football feel bigger than the calendar suggests. Buford brings an undefeated record and an 18-game winning streak into a game that has become a measuring stick for where both programs really stand, while Grayson arrives looking sharper after shaking off a 0-2 start under a new head coach. With college recruiters sure to be watching closely, the field should be crowded with talent and the stakes should feel just as high on the sidelines.
What makes this one especially compelling is how much of Bufords identity still leans on its defense. The Wolves have been built to set the tone on that side of the ball, and this game looks like another chance to prove that standard travels well against one of the states most talented rosters. Grayson, meanwhile, has the kind of personnel that can quickly change the feel of a season, which is why a meeting like this can say so much about both teams long before the playoff race fully comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]