Editor’s note: Each day between now and Georgia’s Capital One Bowl date with Nebraska, we will review the season for a key Bulldogs player and attempt to project what’s next. Today we’ll look at tight end Jay Rome.
No. 87 Jay Rome
Freshman/Tight end
11 catches, 152 yards, 2 TDs
Role in 2012: After redshirting behind Orson Charles and Aron White in 2011, Rome formed an effective tight end tandem with Arthur Lynch this fall.
The good: Rome played in every game and started once, against Georgia Tech, as a redshirt freshman. Rome caught at least one pass in each of the last five games and caught touchdown passes -- the first two of his career -- in the last two games. His 19-yard grab in the second quarter against Alabama helped Georgia take a 7-0 lead in the SEC championship game.
The bad: Although he was playing, Rome’s contributions were mostly limited to blocking in the first half of the season. Through the first eight games, Rome had just two catches for 36 yards. But the tight ends played a larger role in the passing game after receivers Michael Bennett and Marlon Brown went down with knee injuries, and Rome and Lynch both made their share of big catches.
Crystal ball: Rome was the nation’s top tight end prospect when he signed with the Bulldogs in 2011 and he made a solid first impression in his first season as an active player. With Lynch and Rome both getting their first significant taste of action as pass catchers in 2012, expect the tight end -- a group that includes another talented receiver in Ty Smith -- to play an even bigger role in the offense in 2013.
