Tight end Eli Wolf is all about the Red and Black.

He's been that ever since he enrolled at Georgia back in the spring as a grad transfer from Tennessee. Still, there’s a part of Wolf that still feels empathy for his former team, which sits 0-2 after starting the season with losses to Georgia State and BYU.

“I’m not happy at all. I grew up with those guys and played four years there. It doesn’t make me happy to see them lose and see their hearts break like that,” Wolf said after practice Wednesday. “It’s going to matter one game in the fall, but after it’s over, those guys are still going to be my buddies for life. I’m not happy to see them lose. I still wish them the best, all except that one week in the fall.”

Tennessee’s loss has certainly been the Bulldogs’ gain.

In 27 career games with the Volunteers, Wolf made eight starts, with nine catches for 86 yards. Through two games at Georgia, he’s caught five for 84 yards, including an eye-opening effort against Murray State that saw him catch four passes for 73.

Wide receiver Tyler Simmons was duly impressed.

“He had a pretty good game last game. I really didn’t know he could play that well, but he showed to the world and to me that he can really play,” Simmons said. “He can be a great asset to our team. With transfers, you never can tell, but he showed me he can do a little more than I expected.”

Head coach Kirby Smart agreed.

Although a fumble, following a bone-jolting hit by a Murray State defensive back, marred what was otherwise a breakout game, Smart said there’s a lot to like in the Bulldog newcomer.

“He’s a bright kid; he took a pretty good shot. He caught the ball and tried to get extra yards. He took a tough shot. You know it’s going to happen; you don’t accept it. We cannot have it,” Smart said. “We’ve got to do a better job protecting the ball. Just like Stetson’s (Bennett) interception, you can’t have those. You can’t have those in big games, and big moments, as the coach, we’re not going to stop throwing it to you because you fumbled. He caught the ball when he had some opportunities. He made some plays and had some good runs after catch. I think he’s a talented player and a weapon for us.”

Wolf said his progress has been helped by the fact that he was quickly made to feel right at home.

His first weekend in town, quarterback Jake Fromm and fellow tight end Charlie Woerner took Wolf in, inviting him to ditch the hotel where he was staying and live with them until he could find a place of his own.

“I met them one visit when I first got here. They came in on a Sunday, took time out of their day, which showed a lot to me,” Wolf said. “It meant a lot to me, and it took off from there. They’re super-friendly guys who took me right in, so it was awesome.”

Being the new guy on the block hasn’t been as hard as he’s thought.

Where some transfers feel immediate pressure to fit in, Wolf said he’s never been made to feel that way.

“I just wanted to tell everybody that I’m going to work hard, and not expect anything, and do my job every day. Don’t be a problem guy,” he said. “Do that and people will say he does belong. If you work hard in practice every day, you’ll earn the respect of the players pretty quick.”

Learning a new offense hasn’t been as difficult as he first feared.

“There are similarities across the board,” Wolf said. “The terminology was a little bit different, and it took me a second to adjust to it; the same words mean different things, along those lines. But Coach (James) Coley and Coach (Todd) Hartley helped me and gave me whatever extra time I needed to get it down.”

Wolf’s story is certainly an interesting one.

When he first arrived in Knoxville, he did so as a 205-pound wide receiver. However, soon after arriving, coaches there told him he was about to be moved to tight end.

Personal changes were going to have to be made.

“When I came in (to Tennessee), I was 205 pounds, I had played wide receiver my whole life, but got to Tennessee, it was, Hey, you’re going to play tight end, and you’re going to do whatever you can to put this weight on,” said Wolf, who now weighs 237 pounds. “Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I’d wake up, eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or something quick, drink protein shakes three times a day—just any chance I’d get to snack and put weight on. The weight room was huge, too. Since I’ve gotten here, the strength and nutrition staff here has done nothing but help me.”

In return, he’s excited to be helping the Bulldogs, who host Arkansas State Saturday before next week’s game against Notre Dame.

“It’s all about Arkansas State,” Wolf said. “That’s our focus.”