Strength and speed.

Those are the two things tight end John FitzPatrick said he has improved considerably on since stepping foot on Georgia’s campus in 2018. During his redshirt season, FitzPatrick, who played high school football at Marist, said he is much further advanced when it comes to how quickly he moves and with how strong he can be on the gridiron.

With both Charlie Woerner and Eli Wolf gone from the position group, FitzPatrick has a great chance to be much more involved with a tight end group that should offer plenty to the Georgia offense.

And thanks to the strength and conditioning staff, FitzPatrick, listed at 6-foot-7 and 254 pounds for the upcoming season, said he’s in great shape compared to where he was when he arrived.

“Coach (Scott) Sinclair has helped me a ton,” FitzPatrick said. “(On the) scout team my redshirt year and last year, (I kept) working in the weight room. I feel strong. I’ve gained more weight. I feel fast. I’m excited to play.”

How the Bulldogs implement the tight ends within the group's rotation remains to be seen. When Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken last called plays with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018, the tight end position was targeted a fair amount.

With the NFL’s No. 1 passing offense that season, O.J. Howard caught 34 passes for 565 yards and five touchdowns and Cameron Brate caught 30 passes for 289 yards and six touchdowns. Last season with the Cleveland Browns, Monken did not call plays as the offensive coordinator.

If the tight end group proves that it should be a part of the passing attack, perhaps Monken will dial up the position group in the passing game like he did in Tampa Bay.

"I would say that we are prepared for whatever coach Monken calls,” FitzPatrick said. “He was hired to call the plays, and if he calls a pass for us, we're going to go make a play. If he calls the run blocks for us, we're going to go make those blocks. At the end of the day, we just want to win games and take it game by game."

If the personnel allows for it, Monken will call the tight end’s number. FitzPatrick will be one of five tight ends looking to prove they deserve playing time this season. The favorite to start, but perhaps not in the opener against Arkansas, is Tre’ McKitty, a graduate transfer from Florida State.

McKitty underwent a knee scope earlier this preseason, with his status for the opener in doubt. Also battling FitzPatrick for playing time have been freshman Darnell Washington, Ryland Goede and Brett Seither.

"We’ve got good depth there at tight end,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “We’re trying to figure out what each one’s skill set is as we endeavor in this offense and try to figure out the best way to use those guys.”

When it comes to McKitty, FitzPatrick said he’s learned a lot from the veteran newcomer throughout the offseason. McKitty has been a valuable resource for FitzPatrick when it comes to his route running.

“Certain tips he’s taught me are in some route-running,” FitzPatrick said. “At the tops of my routes, working my hands and coming out of my breaks, certain footwork like that. Tre' and I work on that; we’ll talk about that. I’ll run a route and we’ll talk about it after—‘What could you have done better? What coverage did you see?' Stuff like that. It goes back to those smaller details that you keep looking at and to refine your game and perfect it.”

A year ago, FitzPatrick played in 11 of the team’s 14 games and earned a start against Vanderbilt. However, he only caught one pass for 22 yards in a game against Murray State.

With a much longer offseason than anyone could have anticipated, FitzPatrick said he has focused on the finer points of playing the position.

"I would say it starts at practice,” FitzPatrick said. “At practice, working on the little things in between periods—jogging to the next period, finishing drills and what not—doing these little things that are going to translate onto the field so that we can play at our highest level."

If McKitty is unable to play against Arkansas due to his knee injury, FitzPatrick could be in line for some significant minutes at the tight end position. Whatever the case may be, FitzPatrick can’t wait for the 2020 season to start.

“We’re excited to play,” FitzPatrick said. “It’s been a long time coming, going through a long minicamp and then going through a month long or so of camp. We’ve played against our defense so many times. I’m excited to play Arkansas and get this thing going.”