Georgia fans were thrilled to see what tight end Darnell Washington was going to deliver this season, but unfortunately a broken bone in the sophomore’s foot forced him to miss the first four games of 2021.

Washington was able to return to action in Georgia’s Week 5 blowout win over Arkansas. Though the former five-star was not targeted once in the passing game, Washington had a solid return and showcased his blocking abilities well on Saturday.

Georgia ran the ball 57 times on Saturday compared to just 11 passing attempts, so there were not many opportunities for Washington to record his first catch of the year.

But the 6-foot-7, 265 pound tight end still made a difference, and head coach Kirby Smart loved every minute of it.

“Extremely excited,” Smart said when asked about Washington. “However much you excited you can say and be excited because he’s another guy that bought into his role. We said it all week. There’s a difference between knowing your role and buying into your role.

Had several conversations with Darnell where if you’re ready we want to play you. If you’re not, we’ll wait. After he smacked about three linebackers during the week we knew he was ready. He embraced his role. He is not 100 percent and he’ll be the first to tell you that. But man, go back and watch the film, go back and watch the film and see a guy fight for his teammates. I have immense respect for guys who buy into team values and Darnell did that today.”

Washington is a former five-star out of Las Vegas, Nevada in the class of 2020.