Kirby Smart explains the 'markers' Brock Bowers must meet before returning to play

For the second consecutive week, Georgia is going to be facing a ranked opponent at home. Ole Miss will be heading to Athens this go-round, with a fascinating showdown brewing between Kirby Smart and Lane Kiffin. Off the back of last week’s win against Missouri, the Bulldogs are looking to get even stronger on the field with the potential return of Brock Bowers.

Tight rope ankle surgery was required for Bowers, potentially giving him the opportunity to play another game this season. Smart explained the recovery process for the star tight end, talking about the “markers” he must hit before getting back on the field. It’s about tracking on the GPS when it comes to accelerating and decelerating well on the injured ankle.

“Well, I think there are a lot of markers he’s got to hit,” Smart said during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. “There’s more than just the marker of sheer speed. One of the first things we look at on this injury is acceleration and deceleration. Not GPS speed. So, when your decel numbers and acceleration numbers get closer to what your norm is, because we have a baseline on all these guys, you feel much more comfortable about it.

“But you have to get to that point. Straight-line speed is not football, unfortunately… He’s working toward that and I’ve never seen a person work as hard as he’s worked to try to create an opportunity for himself.”

As Rusty Mansell of On3’s Dawgs HQ pointed out, if Bowers is able to play against Ole Miss, it would be 26 days since his tight-rope surgery took place. He compared it to Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who got back onto the field after 27 days during the 2019 season.

Bowers still has Thursday and Friday to make progress on the ankle. While it’s likely not the only factor determining his return, those markers Smart discussed seem to be an important part for Smart.

Kirby Smart does not believe Brock Bowers is taking a long-term risk

Whenever a player like Bowers suffers an injury, the thought of shutting him down for his NFL future comes up. He is likely to be one of the first few names called at the 2024 NFL Draft, truly being a special talent at the tight end position.

Smart was asked if Bowers was taking any kind of long-term risk by getting back on the field. He shot the idea down, praising the people involved with the recovery process.

“I don’t think we put the future at stake, at risk at all,” Smart said. “That’s a medical decision that we’ve got a great staff here. We’ve got unbelievable doctors and surgeons, who did the surgery. All those things are taken into account in terms of — they have boxes to check. And when you check the boxes, it turns back to the player and what their comfort level. Then it turns to the coaches to what — how effective they can be. Those things have to all be checked off before you can even go there.

“So it’s not a, he’s not at a greater risk of long-term, career type things. What it boils down to is ‘Can he help us win?’ and is he comfortable with that and do we think that he can do the things he has to do to be able to help us do it and he’s gotta hit those numbers and check off those boxes we talked about.”