When Tre’ McKitty announced his transfer to Georgia from Florida State in January, he immediately was penciled in as the Bulldogs’ starting tight end. At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, McKitty has the prototypical size that teams are looking for in a tight end, and he caught 50 passes for a total of 520 yards and two touchdowns in three seasons with the Seminoles.
But before McKitty could make his Georgia debut, he suffered a knee injury at the end of preseason camp. It wasn’t anything too serious, but it kept him out of the lineup for the first two games of the season.
McKitty played his first game Oct. 10 against Tennessee and made an impact right away. He had two catches for 47 yards, and his 28-yard reception was the second-longest reception for the Bulldogs in the game. Against Alabama the following week, McKitty had one 10-yard reception.
“Definitely the first two weeks I came back, wasn’t quite feeling myself,” McKitty said. “I was good enough to go, so I wanted to be out there as soon as I could. This bye week definitely helped, so I’m getting closer to 100% every single day. I think I’m moving along great. (Sports medicine doctor) Ron (Courson) has helped me out so much, getting to 100%, so looking to be that by Saturday.”
With the Bulldogs coming off a scoreless second half against Alabama, getting the offense going against Kentucky on Saturday will be important. And with quarterback Stetson Bennett’s apparent affinity for throwing over the middle of the field, tight ends like McKitty have an opportunity to be key targets.
Earlier this week, coach Kirby Smart referenced the importance of establishing a solid run game to open space for the tight ends in play-action over the middle, which McKitty echoed Wednesday.
“If you’re not running the ball well, defenses aren’t gonna bite when you have play-action,” McKitty said. “Everything kinda works hand in hand. If we have a good run game, linebackers and everything is gonna bite, and we get space over the 'backers to make plays in the middle of the field.”
Pass-catching always has come naturally to McKitty, which makes him a valuable option in Georgia’s offense. With his height and size, he can create mismatches and cement himself as a key target now that he’s getting back to full health.
But the tight ends who have the best chance of NFL success are the tight ends who can both receive and block, and McKitty has been working on his blocking since he arrived at Florida State. In fact, one reason he transferred to an SEC school was for the chance to show off his blocking skills.
“I really wanted to hone in on my blocking,” McKitty said. “Try to make that emphasis the last few years. It’s also one of the reasons why I wanted to come to the SEC, to kinda prove that I can hang with the big guys in the blocking game.”
Now working with Georgia’s tight ends coach, Todd Hartley, McKitty said he’s learned new techniques and continued to develop his blocking ability. Both Hartley and offensive coordinator Todd Monken were factors that attracted McKitty to the Bulldogs.
“It’s been cool working with them so far,” McKitty said. “I think coach Hartley has taught me a lot with new techniques that I didn’t work with in the past, and having an NFL guy like coach Monken has been great so far. Just soaking up all the knowledge I can.”
As McKitty progresses toward full health, his experience, size and athletic ability — and his ability to receive and block — should make him an important weapon for the Bulldogs throughout the remainder of this season.
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