University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Brock Bowers
August 30, 2022 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
As Brock Bowers and Broderick Jones got off the elevator on the second floor of Georgia's Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall after a preseason practice earlier this month, the 6-foot-4 and 230-pound Bowers actually appeared small — or small for someone you know is actually quite big.
Bowers, an All-American tight end in a position group that could be as good as any in the country this season, is by most any standard a very large man. But walking next to Jones, the left tackle listed at 6-4 and 310 pounds, Bowers looked much more average in size. But there's nothing average about what the native of Napa, Calif., can do on a football field.
As a freshman last season, Bowers was the Bulldogs' top receiver, finishing Georgia's national championship season with 56 catches for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns — all three totals set new single-season records for Bulldog tight ends, and his 13 TD catches were the most ever by a Georgia receiver.
In his first collegiate game, Bowers led Georgia with six receptions in the 2021 opener against Clemson. In the final game of his freshman season, against Alabama for the national championship, Bowers caught a 15-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that pushed the UGA lead to 26-18 with 3:33 remaining, one of his team-high four catches in the game.
Bowers is one of many talented athletes in his family. His father, Warren, was an All-Big West center at Utah Statel; his mother, DeAnna, was an All-American softball player at Utah State; and his sister, Brianna, plays softball at Sacramento State. During a recent Quick Chat, Bowers talked about being big, being part of a family of jocks, his love of the outdoors, and much more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: You are by most every measure, a large man, so what does it feel like to be standing there next to someone like Broderick?
Bowers: I think I've gotten used to it, being here for so long and being around so many big guys. I guess when I get out of the building and I go see my friends, I'm like, You guys are small. But being around big guys all the time, it makes me feel small.
Frierson: I know your dad played center in college, so how big is he?
Bowers: He's about 6-3 or 6-4, and he trimmed down after he stopped playing. He's about 240 now but he was up around 300 in college.
Frierson: Looking at your family, with two parents that were accomplished collegiate athletes and also your sister is playing college softball, how does that kind of athleticism and competitiveness manifest itself at home? Are you all constantly competing in one thing or another?
Bowers: Our family is always super competitive. I remember when I was really young, 6 or 7, and we went down to Legoland. They had this little firehouse game or something, and it was family vs. family. You had to pump the water and whoever won got to stay, and we were probably on it for 20 or 30 minutes, just beating every family and cheering and celebrating.
Frierson: Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were younger?
Bowers: My mom wanted me to try a bunch of different sports. She put me in tennis, which I did not like, golf, soccer, baseball, basketball — all the ones that all the kids play. I played two years of football before high school and then through high school.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Bowers: That's a tough one. I'm going to have to go with either a burger or a steak, one of those two.
Frierson: Do you have a perfect burger or steak?
Bowers: My dad used to get these things from a market back in Napa, Calif., it was a pound of beef and he'd smack it on the grill and grill it up. Those were probably the best burgers I've ever had.
Frierson: How are you in the kitchen? Can you cook?
Bowers: [Laughs] Georgia gives us a ton of food and it's hard to even have time to cook, or even the need to cook. I want to get better at it; I can cook some stuff.
Frierson: What would you make if you invited a couple of your teammates over for dinner?
Bowers: [Laughs] I have no idea. Whenever my dad cooks, I'm on veggie duty. I'd just be doing stuff like that, putting garlic, salt and parmesan on asparagus. That's all I'd be doing.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Bowers: There a bunch of dudes that come to mind, a bunch of different types of humor. I can't think of one that stands out too much, though. Someone's going to run away with it by the end of the season.
Frierson: When you caught that 89-yard touchdown pass against UAB, covering most of that distance on the ground, did that prove anything to you? Was that an important play as far as establishing yourself?
Bowers: All I was really thinking on that play was, just run [laughs]. It didn't really validate me or anything like that, I guess. I was just playing.
Frierson: Were you always one of the biggest kids in school or did you have a significant growth spurt in high school?
Bowers: I think I was always a little bit above average, but I think when I came into high school I was about 5-11, which was decently tall. I ended up growing another 4-5 inches, which was nice, obviously.
Frierson: When did you realize you could play at a place like Georgia?
Bowers: I guess the switch kind of flipped after my junior year. That's when I had offers to go places and I knew it was time to turn it on and get focused.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from school and football?
Bowers: Me and my roommates have picked up golfing a little bit. We're not very good but we'll scramble, go out on the golf course and just have a good time. Fishing is another one, I like to bass fish, and I like to hunt too.
Frierson: Did you do a lot of fishing and hunting when you were growing up?
Bowers: Me and my dad would always go deer hunting or duck hunting — duck hunting was always my favorite. I've always done hunting, but not as much fishing until I got out here. I always wanted to fish but there were not good fishing spots where I was.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Â
Staff Writer
As Brock Bowers and Broderick Jones got off the elevator on the second floor of Georgia's Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall after a preseason practice earlier this month, the 6-foot-4 and 230-pound Bowers actually appeared small — or small for someone you know is actually quite big.
Bowers, an All-American tight end in a position group that could be as good as any in the country this season, is by most any standard a very large man. But walking next to Jones, the left tackle listed at 6-4 and 310 pounds, Bowers looked much more average in size. But there's nothing average about what the native of Napa, Calif., can do on a football field.
As a freshman last season, Bowers was the Bulldogs' top receiver, finishing Georgia's national championship season with 56 catches for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns — all three totals set new single-season records for Bulldog tight ends, and his 13 TD catches were the most ever by a Georgia receiver.
In his first collegiate game, Bowers led Georgia with six receptions in the 2021 opener against Clemson. In the final game of his freshman season, against Alabama for the national championship, Bowers caught a 15-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that pushed the UGA lead to 26-18 with 3:33 remaining, one of his team-high four catches in the game.
Bowers is one of many talented athletes in his family. His father, Warren, was an All-Big West center at Utah Statel; his mother, DeAnna, was an All-American softball player at Utah State; and his sister, Brianna, plays softball at Sacramento State. During a recent Quick Chat, Bowers talked about being big, being part of a family of jocks, his love of the outdoors, and much more.
Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: You are by most every measure, a large man, so what does it feel like to be standing there next to someone like Broderick?
Bowers: I think I've gotten used to it, being here for so long and being around so many big guys. I guess when I get out of the building and I go see my friends, I'm like, You guys are small. But being around big guys all the time, it makes me feel small.
Frierson: I know your dad played center in college, so how big is he?
Bowers: He's about 6-3 or 6-4, and he trimmed down after he stopped playing. He's about 240 now but he was up around 300 in college.
Frierson: Looking at your family, with two parents that were accomplished collegiate athletes and also your sister is playing college softball, how does that kind of athleticism and competitiveness manifest itself at home? Are you all constantly competing in one thing or another?
Bowers: Our family is always super competitive. I remember when I was really young, 6 or 7, and we went down to Legoland. They had this little firehouse game or something, and it was family vs. family. You had to pump the water and whoever won got to stay, and we were probably on it for 20 or 30 minutes, just beating every family and cheering and celebrating.
Frierson: Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were younger?
Bowers: My mom wanted me to try a bunch of different sports. She put me in tennis, which I did not like, golf, soccer, baseball, basketball — all the ones that all the kids play. I played two years of football before high school and then through high school.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Bowers: That's a tough one. I'm going to have to go with either a burger or a steak, one of those two.
Frierson: Do you have a perfect burger or steak?
Bowers: My dad used to get these things from a market back in Napa, Calif., it was a pound of beef and he'd smack it on the grill and grill it up. Those were probably the best burgers I've ever had.
Frierson: How are you in the kitchen? Can you cook?
Bowers: [Laughs] Georgia gives us a ton of food and it's hard to even have time to cook, or even the need to cook. I want to get better at it; I can cook some stuff.
Frierson: What would you make if you invited a couple of your teammates over for dinner?
Bowers: [Laughs] I have no idea. Whenever my dad cooks, I'm on veggie duty. I'd just be doing stuff like that, putting garlic, salt and parmesan on asparagus. That's all I'd be doing.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Bowers: There a bunch of dudes that come to mind, a bunch of different types of humor. I can't think of one that stands out too much, though. Someone's going to run away with it by the end of the season.
Frierson: When you caught that 89-yard touchdown pass against UAB, covering most of that distance on the ground, did that prove anything to you? Was that an important play as far as establishing yourself?
Bowers: All I was really thinking on that play was, just run [laughs]. It didn't really validate me or anything like that, I guess. I was just playing.
Frierson: Were you always one of the biggest kids in school or did you have a significant growth spurt in high school?
Bowers: I think I was always a little bit above average, but I think when I came into high school I was about 5-11, which was decently tall. I ended up growing another 4-5 inches, which was nice, obviously.
Frierson: When did you realize you could play at a place like Georgia?
Bowers: I guess the switch kind of flipped after my junior year. That's when I had offers to go places and I knew it was time to turn it on and get focused.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from school and football?
Bowers: Me and my roommates have picked up golfing a little bit. We're not very good but we'll scramble, go out on the golf course and just have a good time. Fishing is another one, I like to bass fish, and I like to hunt too.
Frierson: Did you do a lot of fishing and hunting when you were growing up?
Bowers: Me and my dad would always go deer hunting or duck hunting — duck hunting was always my favorite. I've always done hunting, but not as much fishing until I got out here. I always wanted to fish but there were not good fishing spots where I was.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Â
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.
Players Mentioned
TE
/ Football
OL
/ FootballGeorgia Football - Coach Kirby Smart Pre-Florida Press Conference
Monday, October 27
Georgia Football - Drew Bobo Pre-Florida Press Conference
Monday, October 27
Georgia Football - CJ Allen Pre-Florida Press Conference
Monday, October 27
Kirby Smart All Access vs Ole Miss - 2025
Tuesday, October 21