Orson Charles arrived at Georgia in 2009 mostly known as the highly touted, versatile tight end who had accidentally shattered Florida’s national championship trophy as a recruit. Nonetheless, the Southwest Florida native promptly became a weapon in the Bulldogs’ offense, breaking UGA receiving records for a tight end during his three-season career.
From 2009 through 2011, and primarily receiving passes from Aaron Murray, his former teammate at Plant High School, Charles made 94 receptions for 1,370 yards and 10 touchdowns. His receiving yards and touchdowns were career records for a UGA tight end until they were recently surpassed by Brock Bowers.
After being named to the All-SEC Freshman Team, Charles earned All-SEC recognition for both his second and third seasons. Besides Bowers (2021 and 2022) and Troy Sadowski (1988), Charles (2011) is one of only three Georgia tight ends in history to be recognized as a First Team All-American. Also, that season, he was named an offensive team captain as a mere junior.
A fourth-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals, Charles played with a half-dozen NFL teams (Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, and Denver Broncos) into the 2019 season. In the pros, he played both tight end and fullback and was named a team captain while with the Browns. Since then, Charles has worked as a builder and developer, currently owning and operating Tribe of Reuben, LLC.
UGASports caught up with Charles from his home in the Atlanta area.
UGASports: You were a 6-foot-3, 220-pound wide receiver with good speed in high school, yet it was determined you’d solely play tight end at the collegiate level. How did you become a tight end?
Charles: At the time, I was fast, but I wasn't fast enough to be a receiver in college. My uncle offered me up some sound advice when I was trying to figure out if tight end would be a good fit. He said, ‘A big, slow receiver comes a dime a dozen, but a big, fast tight end rarely comes along.’ So, that started to switch my mindset as far as being a tight end. I really learned how to block—and really loved to do it—by being in the Wing-T offense at Riverview for three years. Later, I became really comfortable catching the ball as a senior at Plant. (For his senior season of 2008, Charles transferred from Riverview in Sarasota to Plant in Tampa, where he made 75 receptions for 1,418 yards and 21 touchdowns.) And, from there, everything worked out how it was supposed to.
UGASports: We have to bring up the incident at the University of Florida when you were a recruit, and you accidentally broke the Waterford Crystal football portion of the Gators’ 2006 national title trophy. What do you remember about the widely publicized ordeal?
Charles: That it remains probably the scariest moment of my life. Whenever it gets brought up now, I guess I can laugh and joke about it, but I’m reminded of how it felt at the moment. And, at that moment, when I caused the crystal football to shatter, I felt terrible. We were at the Swamp, posing for pictures, when it broke. And when it shattered, you could’ve heard a pin drop throughout that stadium. It got that quiet! At that point, my initial thought was, "I don’t have the money to replace this," and the burden that was going to be placed on my mother. I thought, if I was going to have to pay for it, my only option for my mother’s sake was for me to attend Florida. But I soon met Florida head coach Urban Meyer, who had heard about the incident. He said to me, "Guess you’re a Gator now," and then he started laughing. Eventually, someone mentioned that the trophy was insured. I heard Florida got a new [replacement trophy] only a couple of weeks later.
UGASports: What was Georgia’s message to you during your recruiting process regarding your role in its offense, especially considering the Bulldogs had hardly thrown to their tight ends the season before? (In 13 games in the 2008 season, four Georgia tight ends combined to make only 11 of the team’s 246 receptions.)
Charles: When I was getting recruited by Coach [Mark] Richt and Coach Lilly (John Lilly, Georgia’s then-tight ends coach), they discussed a few times the role I might play in the offense. They especially liked my versatility and thought I could help their tight end position be more dynamic. I still admire to this day how the Georgia coaches were very honest and upfront with me. They didn’t promise they’d throw the ball to me a lot, or anything like that. Instead, they told me that if I came to Georgia and worked my tail off, I would have the opportunity to contribute on offense.
UGASports: You made headlines again during your senior year in high school when you didn’t reveal which college you’d be attending until a month after signing day. Why did you delay your decision for so long?
Charles: I knew that when I decided where I would attend college, it was going to be one of the biggest decisions—a pinnacle moment—in my life. So, I didn’t want to rush that decision. When my recruiting started heating up, [Plant] was beginning a playoff run all the way to the state title. (Lasting into late December, Plant’s 14-1 season of 2008 culminated in a 34-14 win over Tallahassee Lincoln in the Class 4A state championship game.) I wanted a state championship ring. I didn’t want to leave high school without a ring, and knew that was going to be my last time playing with my high school teammates. So, I wanted to give everything I had for my teammates while not worrying about where I’d attend college. When our season was finally over, I wanted to take my time taking my visits. I also wanted to pray about my decision and consult my pastor and other loved ones about it. Also, at that point, I really focused on the academic side of things, because I wasn’t going to college just to play football. I had to make sure the college I would be attending had the specific degree I desired. So, my recruiting process had a lot of moving parts, filled with a lot of prayer, and a lot of consultation from my support system, giving me their thoughts on what better suited me. It was a long process.
UGASports: Why did you ultimately decide on Georgia?
Charles: Every time I visited UGA, I felt like I was at home. For instance, I remember visiting and all the coaches would be interacting with one another, and their kids would be playing with each other. It was a family-like atmosphere that I really didn’t see at other places I visited. When Coach Richt spoke with me, he barely talked about football. I remember him telling me that he understood my situation as he too was raised by a single mother. Therefore, he said his biggest concern was making sure I became a better man, because there's not a lot of quality men out there. That sold me on Georgia. And on top of that, he was a godly man. Finally, the cherry on top was my quarterback at Plant, Aaron Murray, had already committed to Georgia. Aaron knew what it took to win at the highest level in high school, and I knew he could transfer that to the college level.
UGASports: You instantly became a significant contributor on offense as a true freshman. (In 2009, Charles ranked third on the team in both receptions and receiving yards. He was also the lone Georgia offensive player to be named to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team.) Why do you think you were able to make an instant impact?
Charles: Plant High School’s football program was run like a college football program. We especially prepared for opponents like a college would by watching film before practice, after practice, even after the games on Fridays, and we’d also come back to school and watch film on Saturdays. So, by the time I got to Georgia, I was used to all the hard work needed at the college level. Also, it helped me tremendously that Aaron [Murray] was at Georgia, and he was my roommate. Just watching Aaron do things like break down film made me want to get better and contribute more. And Coach John Lilly was a phenomenal coach. He harped on technique, hand placement, catching the ball, understanding plays. Every time he and I would be walking together before practice or a meeting, he’d call out a play and the defense, and I’d answer back with my adjustments. It really kept me on my toes. Things like that are what made my transition to college ball easier.
UGASports: Georgia followed up a 6-7 season in 2010—what remains the Bulldogs’ lone losing campaign since 1996—with an 0-2 start to your junior year. However, Georgia then won 10 games in a row to finish the 2011 regular season as SEC East champs for the first time in six years. How do you explain the sudden turnaround during the 2010-2011 seasons?
Charles: There were probably a few reasons for the instant turnaround, but the main thing was there was talk about firing Coach Richt. A lot of recruits went to Georgia mostly because of Coach Richt, and suddenly there was talk of us losing that coach. Sitting at 0-2, some of the players, including myself, Aaron [Murray], and some others spoke at a team meeting, saying we had to tighten up and get going, because we were about to lose Coach Richt. And we didn’t come to Georgia to lose games and then lose our head coach. I think the situation made us look inward, asking ourselves if we, as players, are staying out of trouble, focusing on our academics, giving it our all at practices, etc. Because, honestly at the time, not all of us [players] were doing all of those things. So, with the trigger point being there was a lot of talk of firing our head coach, we started winning. And, once you start winning, it can often become contagious.
UGASports: Considered by some analysts as the top draft-eligible tight end, you decided in mid-January following your junior year to enter the NFL Draft. Was it a difficult decision to leave early for the pros?
Charles: Extremely difficult. Just like my mindset had been at Plant, I also wanted a ring, a championship, at Georgia. And following our 2011 season, winning 10 games in a row and capturing the SEC East, I thought we had a good chance [at a championship] the next year. In fact, entering my final game (2012 Outback Bowl vs. Michigan State in Tampa), and no offense to the Outback Bowl, I determined I wanted my final college game to be for a championship. But, after the game, I started to think about it more. I consulted with my pastor, talked with family, and prayed a whole lot. In the end, I decided based on what I thought was best for my family, especially considering the possibility of me getting injured while still in college. I did what made the most sense to me at the time.
UGASports: Describe your NFL Draft experience.
Charles: It was bittersweet. I made some poor decisions leading up to the draft, and I hurt myself. I was projected as a first or second-round pick. But, because of those poor choices, I wound up being selected in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Bengals. However, I thank God I was drafted to begin with. Getting drafted and playing in the NFL was something I had always dreamed of, and something only a few people have achieved. So, from that standpoint, it was really a great moment. I was really excited and ready to go to work. When Marvin (Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati’s then-head coach) called me to welcome me to the team, after I thanked him for the opportunity and for taking a chance on me, I asked him when he could send me the playbook. I couldn’t wait!
UGASports: From what we gathered, your NFL career consisted of six stops with six different teams over a span of just over seven years, with multiple signings, getting waived, and/or re-signings on active rosters and/or practice squads essentially at every stop. Plus, you even had a position change to fullback while in the league. Please comment on what seemed like a resilient NFL career?
Charles: I saw and experienced a lot in the NFL. And nobody enters the league saying they want to play for X number of teams in so many years. Ideally, you want to stay with one team for 10-plus years. However, I’m grateful for my journey of having played for several teams because I had to learn with one team in order for me to thrive and succeed with the next team. And it was just like a domino effect. At Cincinnati, I started to pick up playing fullback, and that developed more when I was in Kansas City, and definitely came into play while I was in Cleveland.
UGASports: You retired from professional football only a few short years ago. What advice would you give a professional football player facing retirement?
Charles: That moment was definitely hard for me. And I have to hand it to all the guys going through it or who will have to go through it. I would tell them to make sure they have a strong, tight support system. I also recommend asking God for guidance. The circumstances are something some people may not realize. It's very hard for a professional athlete to suddenly stop competing, because it’s something he or she has been doing their entire life. A lot of us tie our identity to ball. So, when ball is suddenly over, we literally have to try to figure out who we are—almost like we’re totally starting over. What do we want to do now? The transition process to the new identity is difficult—a lot of work. Get ready. But everything can be handled much easier by having a strong support system to begin with.
UGASports: What did you decide to do upon retiring from football?
Charles: One of the reasons why I attended UGA was because I could take classes to not only learn to be a builder in the construction business but an investor, as well. So, I knew before I retired from football that I wanted to get into that industry. When I got done with football in 2019, I talked to my agent, had my exit interview, and then soon acquired my first investment property, which was a foreclosure. I discovered a mentor who taught me so much, and I soon learned the entire business process. I sold that first property and wound up obtaining another from a wholesaler. So, I'm a developer and builder who started with a fix-and-flip. So many people are moving to Atlanta, and there's a housing shortage, so I’m now doing new construction starting from the ground up. My construction company is called Tribe of Reuben, LLC.
UGASports: Obviously, it’s been difficult for you to make it back for games in Athens. Still, for your first game at Sanford Stadium as a fan, you were honored on the field during Georgia’s big win over No. 8 Arkansas in 2021. What was it like to be back between the hedges?
Charles: It was truly a beautiful moment for me. I really appreciate Kirby [Smart] and Jonas [Jennings] for reaching out to me. It’s great how they are bringing back former players to not only be acknowledged, but it allows us to give back to the program by associating with the current players. I was able to bring my mother and a mentor of mine to the game. I loved every moment of it.
I’d like to say, it was at that game—the first time I had been back to Sanford Stadium as a spectator—I saw Georgia players on a totally different level, like I hadn’t seen before. I truly witnessed for the first time what Kirby is doing, and the type of talent it’s attracting, and I was astonished. Everything within the program is so well orchestrated and very sound. Even the way Georgia came out on the field and warmed up, the looks on their faces when I was walking on the field, they were locked in like I have hardly seen from a team. There were some people who thought Arkansas would give Georgia a good game a couple of years ago. If I’m being honest, I did not, and simply because of what I witnessed in the pregame. And once the game started (a 37-0 Georgia win), you could see how that team knew how to play together, and how to hit the opponent in the mouth.
UGASports: Finally, what does it mean to you to be an integral part of the tight end legacy at Georgia, or what some consider “Tight End U.”?
Charles: It’s a wonderful thing because of what Georgia’s tight end legacy has become. Now, it seems all the top tight ends from around the country want to come to Georgia. These recruits know Georgia uses its tight ends to stretch the field, creating mismatch situations. And, ultimately, Georgia sends its tight ends to the [NFL] draft. Todd Hartley is a phenomenal tight ends coach. I remember when Todd was a young assistant under Coach Lilly back when I played. He’s seen a lot of great coaches come through Georgia, and he’s developed into one of the top assistant coaches and recruiters in football. I’m grateful to be mentioned as part of Georgia’s tight end legacy, and forever appreciative of Coach Richt for giving me the opportunity to be part of it all. I bleed Red and Black. Go Dawgs!
