Five-star TE Darnell Washington breaks down where Georgia stands

LAS VEGAS - When it comes to what sets the Bulldogs apart from a field of Tennessee, Alabama, Penn State, and Miami, five-star tight end Darnell Washington had to take a second to ponder.

"I'll say the tradition," Washington said.

What requires less thought, however, is where the Bulldogs sit for the nation's No. 18 overall player's services.

"Georgia, they really stand high," Washington said. "I don't know. Like, I just say this now, things will change, but they're potentially top two."

The other team in that group?

"I got to really think about that one," Washington said.

Being the only identified team in the top two for one of the best tight ends in the nation is a testament to the Bulldogs' staff and how they've endeared themselves.

"It's Coach [Todd] Hartley and Coach [Kirby] Smart. Good dudes. You know, even though they coach a lot and take everything serious, they still just find a way to have fun with us," Washington said. "Like on the last days that I was there (in late July), Coach Smart was on the water slide with his son. Coach Hartley was out there eating pie, all that. It was just fun coaching. I feel like the coaching there, when it's time for business, they get into business. I know it's not always supposed to be fun. There's time to get the work in."

The near 6-foot-8, 259-pound athlete will get a chance to see how the Bulldogs handle their business soon, as he's mapped out visits for the fall.

"So far, I got set the Georgia-Notre Dame game," Washington said. "I got Tennessee locked in in December. I believe I got Miami locked in. This time (at Georgia), essentially, is going to be a game I get to actually see them in action. I want to see how Hartley or the coaches react when my position, tight end, if they mess up or they do good. I just want to see their reaction, so if I go there, I will have a feel of I know how they'll react. I just want to see how the coaches coach and how the players play."

Washington admits he's already watching how the Bulldogs handle the position in 2019.

"I want to watch it all, you know, even Georgia down to whoever. Whoever I'm looking at so far, I want to see how they do it, how they use it and learn from it and just play my options," Washington said. "[Hartley] has just shown me his little game plan (from Miami), how he used them, things like that. He said he was going to transition that to Georgia."

But Hartley will need pieces to execute his plans with, and he's clearly hoping Washington is one.

"Yeah, I was looking at the depth chart. You know, that's another thing I look at, depth charts, potentially going," Washington said. "You know, it looked pretty thin there. Coaches told me I got a good shot at starting early. So that's something I like to hear."

Aside from the visit trail, the Vegas-based playmaker is focusing on aiding his squad at Desert Pines by any means necessary.

"I just try to stay focused, man. I don't really care if my opponent is weaker than us or better than us, anything like that. I just stay focused, man. Think about what the team got to do and just come out and play," Washington said. "I feel like I can do a lot. Offense, if they don't use me a lot on offense. I try to go on defense, make a play, make up for the offenses reps that I could have had or missed or anything like that. Yeah, or a little punt. I just try to do what I can, man."