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2022 West Forsyth (GA) 4-star TE Oscar Delp was recently ranked as the top tight end in the country by the 247Sports Composite last week, and the 6’5” 220-pound prospect gave his thoughts on how his talent is viewed by the recruiting industry and how the rankings motivate him to take his game to the next level.
“I just use [the rankings] as fuel and to make me want to get better,” Delp said. “When I was ranked before I think I was 13 or somewhere around there and I just knew there were kids ranked higher than me that I was better than, I just had to prove it. And in this last ranking, luckily I came out as the number one tight end in the country. It’s cool seeing that, that your hard work pays off and people see it. Now it just makes me want to jump higher nationally overall and just keep on grinding.”
It didn’t take long for Delp’s week to get even better, as he also landed an offer from the Miami Hurricanes on Friday, something many tight end recruits covet. With Miami TE coach Stephen Field out of town, the bid came from UM offensive analyst Kyle Cooper.
“[Cooper] told me they’ve been looking at me for awhile and he sent me some things that they wrote up about me when they were looking at my film,” Delp said. “He was just telling me how it’s ‘Tight End U’ there, that it’s an amazing school, and an awesome place – the weather is great there and you can’t complain being in Miami.”
While Delp expects to get on a call with Field and the rest of Miami’s offensive staff this week to follow up on his offer, he says he is already well-aware of the tight end tradition in Coral Gables.
“The history of the tight end position there – they’ve been putting them in the league and they’re about to put another in the league this year,” Delp said of UM. “They love using the tight end and throwing them the ball, and I think it’s an offense I can definitely fit in.”
Miami’s claim to ‘Tight End U’ isn’t just a vague notion for the West Forsyth star – Delp watched multiple Miami games last season and says he could envision himself in the UM offense.
“They loved moving Brevin Jordan around to different spots and making mismatches,” Delp said. “That’s kind of how I play my game and how I’m utilized best. It’s not just a blocking tight end school, they put them all over the field and throw them the ball.”
Ultimately, is a school’s history of tight end production a major factor for Delp in choosing a college?
“Definitely. Every tight end wants to see a school that produces tight ends and uses them the way they want to be used,” he said.
Although Delp admits he has a lot of interest in the Hurricanes, it certainly won’t be an easy task to sway the nation’s #1 tight end with options all across the country. A week before UM offered him, Delp made his first cut of the process, narrowing down his list to 13 schools – Clemson, Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, OU, LSU, USC, Auburn, UNC, South Carolina, Stanford, and Northwestern.
“Right now, I just released a top 13 to cut down my schools a little bit and focus on the schools I can envision myself at,” Delp said. “My next step is to get out to some of these schools and see everywhere in person before I make a decision.”
Does Delp consider his top 13 open for outside schools to hop in?
“Miami or any other school can definitely get into my top group, but I’m not sure if I’m going to cut it down publicly again,” Delp said. “If I find out where I want to go and know where home is, I think I might commit next. Or if I feel like I need to cut it down again, I’ll cut it down again, but I’m really not sure when. I’ve thought, generally, I’m probably going to decide after May. If [visits] open up like we’re hoping, it could be sometime over the summer, or maybe during the season. I know I’m going to be enrolling early in college so it’s going to have to be sometime before the early signing period.”
As Delp said, the next step of his process is to go on some visits and see where he feels a connection, although he hasn’t been able to set dates yet due to the NCAA extending the dead period through May. Once he is able to take visits, though, Delp says he will have a better idea of where he can see himself for the next four years and will be another step closer to a decision.
“I definitely have a list of schools I want to see,” Delp said. “I want to get out to Georgia, Florida, Clemson, Miami, Southern California, North Carolina, and Michigan once I can. Some of the things I’m looking for in a school include how they use the tight end position, like throwing them the ball. The academics is another big thing for me – ‘It’s a 40 year decision not a 4 year decision’ is what my parents are always saying. Then how I feel overall being at the school and how I fit in in the environment of the school in general.”
As a junior in 2020, Delp recorded 43 catches for 730 yards and 9 TD’s for a 9-4 Wolverines team.
“I think I had a pretty strong season this year - I got hurt right before the playoffs so I only got to play 9 games. Over the offseason, I improved on my route running and my speed, getting in and out of breaks. I think it really showed on the field this year.”
“I just use [the rankings] as fuel and to make me want to get better,” Delp said. “When I was ranked before I think I was 13 or somewhere around there and I just knew there were kids ranked higher than me that I was better than, I just had to prove it. And in this last ranking, luckily I came out as the number one tight end in the country. It’s cool seeing that, that your hard work pays off and people see it. Now it just makes me want to jump higher nationally overall and just keep on grinding.”
It didn’t take long for Delp’s week to get even better, as he also landed an offer from the Miami Hurricanes on Friday, something many tight end recruits covet. With Miami TE coach Stephen Field out of town, the bid came from UM offensive analyst Kyle Cooper.
“[Cooper] told me they’ve been looking at me for awhile and he sent me some things that they wrote up about me when they were looking at my film,” Delp said. “He was just telling me how it’s ‘Tight End U’ there, that it’s an amazing school, and an awesome place – the weather is great there and you can’t complain being in Miami.”
While Delp expects to get on a call with Field and the rest of Miami’s offensive staff this week to follow up on his offer, he says he is already well-aware of the tight end tradition in Coral Gables.
“The history of the tight end position there – they’ve been putting them in the league and they’re about to put another in the league this year,” Delp said of UM. “They love using the tight end and throwing them the ball, and I think it’s an offense I can definitely fit in.”
Miami’s claim to ‘Tight End U’ isn’t just a vague notion for the West Forsyth star – Delp watched multiple Miami games last season and says he could envision himself in the UM offense.
“They loved moving Brevin Jordan around to different spots and making mismatches,” Delp said. “That’s kind of how I play my game and how I’m utilized best. It’s not just a blocking tight end school, they put them all over the field and throw them the ball.”
Ultimately, is a school’s history of tight end production a major factor for Delp in choosing a college?
“Definitely. Every tight end wants to see a school that produces tight ends and uses them the way they want to be used,” he said.
Although Delp admits he has a lot of interest in the Hurricanes, it certainly won’t be an easy task to sway the nation’s #1 tight end with options all across the country. A week before UM offered him, Delp made his first cut of the process, narrowing down his list to 13 schools – Clemson, Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, OU, LSU, USC, Auburn, UNC, South Carolina, Stanford, and Northwestern.
“Right now, I just released a top 13 to cut down my schools a little bit and focus on the schools I can envision myself at,” Delp said. “My next step is to get out to some of these schools and see everywhere in person before I make a decision.”
Does Delp consider his top 13 open for outside schools to hop in?
“Miami or any other school can definitely get into my top group, but I’m not sure if I’m going to cut it down publicly again,” Delp said. “If I find out where I want to go and know where home is, I think I might commit next. Or if I feel like I need to cut it down again, I’ll cut it down again, but I’m really not sure when. I’ve thought, generally, I’m probably going to decide after May. If [visits] open up like we’re hoping, it could be sometime over the summer, or maybe during the season. I know I’m going to be enrolling early in college so it’s going to have to be sometime before the early signing period.”
As Delp said, the next step of his process is to go on some visits and see where he feels a connection, although he hasn’t been able to set dates yet due to the NCAA extending the dead period through May. Once he is able to take visits, though, Delp says he will have a better idea of where he can see himself for the next four years and will be another step closer to a decision.
“I definitely have a list of schools I want to see,” Delp said. “I want to get out to Georgia, Florida, Clemson, Miami, Southern California, North Carolina, and Michigan once I can. Some of the things I’m looking for in a school include how they use the tight end position, like throwing them the ball. The academics is another big thing for me – ‘It’s a 40 year decision not a 4 year decision’ is what my parents are always saying. Then how I feel overall being at the school and how I fit in in the environment of the school in general.”
As a junior in 2020, Delp recorded 43 catches for 730 yards and 9 TD’s for a 9-4 Wolverines team.
“I think I had a pretty strong season this year - I got hurt right before the playoffs so I only got to play 9 games. Over the offseason, I improved on my route running and my speed, getting in and out of breaks. I think it really showed on the field this year.”
