Kirby Smart discusses whether injured star Brock Bowers will travel to Jacksonville

With Brock Bowers going down with an ankle injury, he will not be playing in Saturday’s rivalry game against Florida. Georgia will travel to Jacksonville and there is a chance Bowers is not even on the sideline, with Kirby Smart having a decision to make on the traveling roster.

For now, Smart has not decided if Bowers is going to travel with the team. There are a few things he will need to look at before a final decision is made, making sure there is room to bring the tight end. After all, Georgia might need his traveling roster spot for somebody who has a chance of contributing vs. Florida.

“We haven’t made the decision yet,” Smart said during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. “We’ll make the decision based on who is traveling, how many we can travel, what our numbers look like at each position. We have some decisions to make on all that. We don’t want to make that decision right now.”

If Bowers does travel, he will not be able to do anything other than cheer on his teammates.

Tight rope surgery was performed and best case scenario, the tight end gets back on the field later in the season. As Georgia continues to win and extends their season into a potential SEC Championship and College Football Playoff, Bowers’ chances of getting back on the field go up.

Florida, Billy Napier does not have to face Brock Bowers this season

Bowers had a big day against the Gators last season, hauling in 154 yards and a touchdown on just five receptions. Georiga’s offense has yet to take the field without him, enjoying the bye week this past Saturday. While Stetson Bennett had his big playmaker available to him in Jacksonville, Carson Beck will have to find a different way to beat Florida.

Billy Napier understands how big of an absence Bowers is going to be, calling him one of the greatest players of all time in college football. Florida would have a matchup nightmare on their hands if Bowers was fully healthy but Napier knows they will have to adjust to their offense without him in it.

“He made them really hard to defend,” Napier said on Monday. “I think, ultimately, the matchups just change. 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.”