Billy Napier calls Brock Bowers one of the greatest players of all time, explains impact of his absence

Florida dodged a bullet with Georgia TE Brock Bowers set to miss The Cocktail Party between the Gators and Bulldogs this weekend in Jacksonville. Still, that didn’t mean that Billy Napier couldn’t give him and his team the flowers that he thinks that they deserve.

Napier gave Bowers some very high praise during his press conference on Monday. He described him as “one of the best players of all time” considering how versatile of a weapon that he is at tight end.

“Obviously, this is not only one of the best players in America this year, last year. I mean this is one of the best players of all time, if that makes sense,” Napier stated.

“This guy is a really, really unique matchup relative to his ability to run routes and get open, his ability to run after the catch. I mean they’re handing the guy sweeps, they were handing the guy the ball. And he’s a terrific blocker,” noted Napier. “He’s tough. He’s got a really good set of fundamentals.”

Bowers has 41 catches for 567 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. That, at the moment, makes him Georgia’s leading receiver in each of his three collegiate seasons. However, his junior season is currently on pause as he recovers from surgery after suffering an ankle injury in the ‘Dawg’s last outing at Vanderbilt.

The loss of Bowers will likely change the dynamic of Georgia’s offense over their final five games. Even so, Napier knows they’ll still be a challenge for Florida to handle. With their players and a bye week to prepare, he is still expecting a tough outing from the defending champs come Saturday.

“He made them really hard to defend. I think, ultimately, the matchups just change,” explained Napier. “I think these are probably questions more for them than they are for me. We’ll prepare for the personnel that we’ve been watching.”

“Having an open date helps but they’re not lacking for skill players. I mean they’ve got ’em, all position,” said Napier.

Missing an all-time great player is going to be a lot for Georgia to overcome. With that said, it’s something they can naturally still handle and Napier knows that.

Florida vs. Georgia: Early point spread released

The annual matchup between Florida and Georgia is set for another go-round with the upstart Gators hoping to pull a huge upset over the No. 1 Bulldogs. If the early point spread is any indication, though, it’ll be a huge uphill climb.

Georgia has opened as a 17-point favorite over Florida according to lines released by FanDuel. The over/under is set at 50.5.

Both teams will be coming off a bye week with some considerable momentum.

The early point spread indicates there’s still a significant talent discrepancy between the two teams, one that Vegas projects will result in a comfortable Georgia win.

The game will take place at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday with a national broadcast on CBS.