By: Brett Greenberg
ATLANTA, GA. - Four star tight end Oscar Delp, the nation’s No. 85 overall player in the class of 2022 per the 247Sports Composite Rankings has visited Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Florida since face-to-face recruiting resumed June 1.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound reigning Offensive Region 6-AAAAAA Player of the Year (West Forsyth/Cumming, Ga) holds 33 offers and says the school he ends up at largely looms on whichever head coach stays in contact with him the longest and whichever school has a designated name, image and likeness (NIL) plan that best suits him and sets him up for the future.
“Every campus has the premier facilities and a top of the line coaching staff,” said Delp. “What the decision will really come down to is the overall feeling when I step foot on campus and truthfully, whichever coach sticks with me the longest is where I think I’ll end up.”
Delp, who has visited arguably four of the more prominent programs in college football in just 13 days, says it is not difficult to see which coaches are putting on a show and which are truly genuine.
“You can tell which coaches are putting on a show just because they might see your ranking, but there’s also coaches who are genuine and truly care about you,” said Delp. “I am able to differentiate pretty easily these days.”
Delp is set to visit Michigan this week and South Carolina the weekend of June 25 before he takes a break and truly weighs out his options.
“My parents have their opinions and their say but at the end of the day, it’s my decision,” said Delp. “I am in no rush and I know they’ll be happy wherever I land.”
For Delp, football is the main focus, but life outside of football is equally as important because the thought, “Would I want to go here if football was taken away?” is a huge factor in his commitment. Delp has taken just as hard of a look at the campus, the buildings, the students and even the weather because he says football can be taken away just like that.
“It’s the little things for me like what students are doing when I’m walking around on my visit,” said Delp. “There’s schools where you have nothing to do and then campuses with anything you could ever want to do.”
Delp is currently taking an online course in hopes of graduating next winter and envisions being a mid-year enrollee.
“Right now I’m looking into doing sports broadcasting,” added Delp. “I want to land at ESPN ultimately, but SEC and ACC Network would be pretty cool too.”
Fortunately, Delp has not been alone on his visits as lifelong friend and 7-on-7 teammate Kojo Antwi (four-star, Lambert) has visited Alabama and Georgia along with him and he says they have had plenty of conversations and been going through this process together.
“He’s (Kojo) an awesome kid and I am really good friends with him. I would love to go to the next level with him and become our own duo, so to speak.”
As Delp, and any other person who follows the recruitment process knows, coaches can only do so much and it is, more often than not, another commit who is the main recruiter trying to get him on campus.
“I’ve talked with Ty Simpson (Alabama QB commit) a bunch. He seems like a really good kid that will be a playmaker for Alabama. I have not been able to play with him though.”
“You’ve got Cade Klubnik (Clemson QB commit) who can really sling it and place the ball wherever he wants on the field. Gunner Stockton (UGA QB commit) is a close friend of mine as well. I have played with him a bunch throughout the years and we were up in Athens together last week.”
Delp says those three guys have been pretty persistent in their effort to land the dynamic tight end, but it is UGA receiver commit De’Nylon Morrissette who has stood out to Delp.
“De’Nylon has been calling me and texting every single day since he committed,” added Delp. “He just says ‘go dawgs!’ and is really trying to get me to commit to the G.”
The campus, the coaching staff and the overall feel of the program are factors that everyone considers, but the recent confirmation of name, image and likeness (NIL) in certain states will be an overarching factor for Delp and he says it has become a large part of his visits.
“The NIL has their own section on the visits and they sit me down and walk me through a plan and show me how they’ll use their platform to build my brand,” explained Delp. “They talk about all the connections they have to get my name out there. They are trying to get me to benefit from my name as much as I can.”
Delp added Georgia and Florida have stood out to him in terms of a plan for NIL once he steps foot on campus as it will become legal July 1 in those states. He would not go into details about either pitch.
When talking about Delp, you can’t help but mention the Clemson connection as his uncle, James Chappell, played for the Tigers in the 1990s and was roommates with current quarterback coach Brandon Streeter.
“There’s definitely a connection with all those coaches at Clemson. They’re a very cool, genuine staff and it would be pretty cool to play for coach (Dabo) Sweeney and that elite staff nearly 30 years after my uncle did.”
As for the Gators, Delp knows the shoes he is stepping into after the departure of Kyle Pitts, the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft, but also acknowledged the legacy of tight ends to go through Gainesville.”
“On one hand, who wouldn’t want to play after the greatest tight end in college football history. It falls right into place for me, but I also have that thought of going somewhere and creating my own legacy with no comparisons.”
Delp added that (Kyle) Pitts, George Kittle and Zach Ertz are the three tight ends he watches film on and tries to model his game after.
Delp ended the interview mentioning he truly does not know when he will commit, he is in no rush and will take time with his family in the coming weeks to make sure he is making the best decision for himself.
“Right now, when I am not visiting schools, I am working out from 7 a.m. to noon with our team (West Forsyth) and then I go home, eat a ton, nap and do some online school work.”
Delp made sure to mention he is just a regular kid who hangs out with his friends at night watching the NBA playoffs.
Stay tuned for more information as the No. 2 tight end in the nation narrows down his decision and an official visit schedule for next Fall.
Delp kicks off his senior season at home against Carver-Atlanta Wednesday, Aug. 18 at 8:30 p.m. The opener is one of the 11 games featured in the 30th annual Corky Kell Classic beginning Wednesday, Aug. 18 and finishing in Mercedes-Benz Stadium Saturday, Aug. 21.
Reach Brett Greenberg at brettgreenberg29@gmail.com or via Twitter @74talk
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