University of Georgia Athletics
'This Boy’s Legit': Bowers A Big-Time Weapon
January 06, 2022 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
It's not that we're still shocked by what Georgia tight end Brock Bowers does on the football field, though we no doubt were for a while. At this point, after 14 games, 52 receptions, and a school-record 12 touchdown catches, it's more awe and admiration.
"Brock's a headache for the other team," said Dan Lanning, Georgia's Fain and Billy Slaughter Defensive Coordinator for one more game — Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Alabama — before he takes over as Oregon's head coach. "I'm glad he's on our team.
"In a lot of ways Brock is like having another wideout out there on the field, obviously. He's extremely talented, does a great job catching the ball in tough situations. ... You definitely have to treat him different. You can't treat him like your standard tight end."
Bowers is definitely not a standard tight end, but he has set a remarkable standard for excellence in his first season at Georgia.
From the first snap of the season opener, when the freshman caught a 7-yard pass from JT Daniels against Clemson in the Duke's Mayo Classic, Bowers has impressed, and been Georgia's leading receiver. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Bowers has been a huge reason why Georgia's offense has been among the best in the nation all season.
The SEC Freshman of the Year, and a second-team All-American, made an impression on his teammates long before announcing his presence to the college football world with a team-best six catches for 43 yards against a very good Clemson defense.
For linebacker Nolan Smith, everything he's seen from Bowers this season is in line with the talented hard worker that Bowers proved himself to be in the preseason.
"That's my son," Smith said with a laugh. "When you first come in (for preseason practice), you kind of take people under your wing. Outside linebackers and tight ends, we're always going against each other just because of our position groups. I'd say, 'Son, I'm going to teach you a lot.'"
Smith and Bowers were also on the same special teams unit, which gave the veteran a lot of time to take in the newcomer and see what he was made of.
"Me and him almost went through the whole fall camp together just being on punt," Smith said. "I was just teaching him that you want to do this, you want to do that, talking to him every day and putting my arm around him.
"I think everyone knew he was a good player but he's still a freshman, so they still have some mess-up moments, some square-head moments, and you've just got to help them push through it and explain things."
Quarterback Stetson Bennett said he'd been impressed with Bowers' athleticism during offseason workouts and in fall camp. But looking good in the weight room or the practice field isn't the same as making it happen in a game.
"You never know," Bennett said. "He would make plays in practice, obviously, but you never really know until it goes down and you actually see him play on a collegiate football field during a game."
Smith had seen Bowers' speed plenty during workouts but not everyone was buying, Smith said, that the well-built tight end, a four-star prospect from Napa, Calif., had the kind of speed that Smith described. But then when practice began, everyone saw it. The consensus, according to Smith: "This boy's legit."
Bowers proved that against Clemson, accounting for more than a quarter of Georgia's 22 completions and about a third of its 135 receiving yards in the defensive duel. The following week, in the home opener against UAB, Bowers showed everyone that top-end, breakaway speed.
Late in the first quarter, with Georgia already up 14-0, the offense started its drive at the UGA 11-yard line. Bowers lined up on the right side of the line, worked his way out wide, and caught Bennett's pass at the 29. A UAB safety had the angle to get to Bowers somewhere around the Blazer 25, but he never touched him. The only player chasing Bowers down was Georgia wideout Ladd McConkey, who was the first player there to celebrate the 89-yard touchdown.
"That was the one where you're like, all right, all right, he's pretty fast," Bennett said with a laugh.
Outrunning a defensive back, particularly one that has a good angle to make the play, isn't something a lot of people can do, Smith said.
"You see that from guys like Tyreek Hill and (former Georgia wideout) Mecole Hardman — the safety has a perfect angle and he still outruns him. You usually don't see that from a tight end in the SEC," Smith said.
Bowers had three catches for 107 yards in that game, including another touchdown. After four games, Bowers had 18 receptions for 269 yards and four touchdowns. Then came a bit of a lull, just 12 catches over the next six games, though in one of those games, against Kentucky, he had five catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
Bowers is also the sixth-leading rusher this season for a program that's known as Running Back U. He had a 12-yard run against Vanderbilt on his first career carry, a 24-yarder against Tennessee, a 19-yarder against Charleston Southern, and he had a 1-yard run against Alabama.
The Bowers run against Bama may have been stuffed, but he was a menace in the passing game, finishing with 10 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown. In Georgia's past four games, Bowers has caught a combined 22 passes for 330 yards and six touchdowns.
In the Capital One Orange Bowl, Bowers got off to a very hot start, catching three passes for a combined 51 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown on a screen, during the Bulldogs' opening 80-yard march to the lead in the 34-11 victory over No. 2 Michigan.
Said Alabama coach Nick Saban this week: "I think this guy is one of the premier players in college football."
Bowers has been a difference-maker, and a headache for opposing defenses, since the start of this special Georgia season. And Monday night he and the Bulldogs will try to cap their great seasons with one more stellar performance in pursuit of a national championship.
Staff Writer
It's not that we're still shocked by what Georgia tight end Brock Bowers does on the football field, though we no doubt were for a while. At this point, after 14 games, 52 receptions, and a school-record 12 touchdown catches, it's more awe and admiration.
"Brock's a headache for the other team," said Dan Lanning, Georgia's Fain and Billy Slaughter Defensive Coordinator for one more game — Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Alabama — before he takes over as Oregon's head coach. "I'm glad he's on our team.
"In a lot of ways Brock is like having another wideout out there on the field, obviously. He's extremely talented, does a great job catching the ball in tough situations. ... You definitely have to treat him different. You can't treat him like your standard tight end."
Bowers is definitely not a standard tight end, but he has set a remarkable standard for excellence in his first season at Georgia.
From the first snap of the season opener, when the freshman caught a 7-yard pass from JT Daniels against Clemson in the Duke's Mayo Classic, Bowers has impressed, and been Georgia's leading receiver. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Bowers has been a huge reason why Georgia's offense has been among the best in the nation all season.
The SEC Freshman of the Year, and a second-team All-American, made an impression on his teammates long before announcing his presence to the college football world with a team-best six catches for 43 yards against a very good Clemson defense.
For linebacker Nolan Smith, everything he's seen from Bowers this season is in line with the talented hard worker that Bowers proved himself to be in the preseason.
"That's my son," Smith said with a laugh. "When you first come in (for preseason practice), you kind of take people under your wing. Outside linebackers and tight ends, we're always going against each other just because of our position groups. I'd say, 'Son, I'm going to teach you a lot.'"
Smith and Bowers were also on the same special teams unit, which gave the veteran a lot of time to take in the newcomer and see what he was made of.
"Me and him almost went through the whole fall camp together just being on punt," Smith said. "I was just teaching him that you want to do this, you want to do that, talking to him every day and putting my arm around him.
"I think everyone knew he was a good player but he's still a freshman, so they still have some mess-up moments, some square-head moments, and you've just got to help them push through it and explain things."
Quarterback Stetson Bennett said he'd been impressed with Bowers' athleticism during offseason workouts and in fall camp. But looking good in the weight room or the practice field isn't the same as making it happen in a game.
"You never know," Bennett said. "He would make plays in practice, obviously, but you never really know until it goes down and you actually see him play on a collegiate football field during a game."
Smith had seen Bowers' speed plenty during workouts but not everyone was buying, Smith said, that the well-built tight end, a four-star prospect from Napa, Calif., had the kind of speed that Smith described. But then when practice began, everyone saw it. The consensus, according to Smith: "This boy's legit."
Bowers proved that against Clemson, accounting for more than a quarter of Georgia's 22 completions and about a third of its 135 receiving yards in the defensive duel. The following week, in the home opener against UAB, Bowers showed everyone that top-end, breakaway speed.
Late in the first quarter, with Georgia already up 14-0, the offense started its drive at the UGA 11-yard line. Bowers lined up on the right side of the line, worked his way out wide, and caught Bennett's pass at the 29. A UAB safety had the angle to get to Bowers somewhere around the Blazer 25, but he never touched him. The only player chasing Bowers down was Georgia wideout Ladd McConkey, who was the first player there to celebrate the 89-yard touchdown.
"That was the one where you're like, all right, all right, he's pretty fast," Bennett said with a laugh.
Outrunning a defensive back, particularly one that has a good angle to make the play, isn't something a lot of people can do, Smith said.
"You see that from guys like Tyreek Hill and (former Georgia wideout) Mecole Hardman — the safety has a perfect angle and he still outruns him. You usually don't see that from a tight end in the SEC," Smith said.
Bowers had three catches for 107 yards in that game, including another touchdown. After four games, Bowers had 18 receptions for 269 yards and four touchdowns. Then came a bit of a lull, just 12 catches over the next six games, though in one of those games, against Kentucky, he had five catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
Bowers is also the sixth-leading rusher this season for a program that's known as Running Back U. He had a 12-yard run against Vanderbilt on his first career carry, a 24-yarder against Tennessee, a 19-yarder against Charleston Southern, and he had a 1-yard run against Alabama.
The Bowers run against Bama may have been stuffed, but he was a menace in the passing game, finishing with 10 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown. In Georgia's past four games, Bowers has caught a combined 22 passes for 330 yards and six touchdowns.
In the Capital One Orange Bowl, Bowers got off to a very hot start, catching three passes for a combined 51 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown on a screen, during the Bulldogs' opening 80-yard march to the lead in the 34-11 victory over No. 2 Michigan.
Said Alabama coach Nick Saban this week: "I think this guy is one of the premier players in college football."
Bowers has been a difference-maker, and a headache for opposing defenses, since the start of this special Georgia season. And Monday night he and the Bulldogs will try to cap their great seasons with one more stellar performance in pursuit of a national championship.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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