Kirby Smart details what Georgia coaches saw in freshman Brock Bowers

Georgia freshman tight end Brock Bowers has been a star for the Bulldogs this season, leading the team in receiving through the first four weeks. While his early success may have come as a surprise to some, it hasn’t been a surprise for head coach Kirby Smart, who saw the potential for Bowers to be special in high school.

“As for recruiting we saw tremendous tape,” Smart said during the SEC Coaches teleconference. “He was a really good football player. Played tailback, played receiver, played tight end. Just got the ball to him. He was fast, he was physical, tough. Then meeting him and talking to him a lot over the phone and also when he came to see us. He’s just a tremendous person. Working out all the time. Just knew that he had a a chance to be a special player because he had a lot of the intangibles characteristics you want. When he got here in the spring he showed those same qualities.”

Through four games, Brock Bowers has led the team in receiving yards with 272 yards and four touchdowns on 18 receptions.

After catching four passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns, along with a 12-yard rush for another touchdown in Georgia’s dominant win 62-0 over Vanderbilt, Bowers earned SEC Freshman of the Week.

Disaster struck for an already injury-plagued Georgia offense when starting tight end Darnell Washington suffered a foot injury in fall camp. The Bulldogs turned to the true freshman Bowers, who has taken the opportunity and run with it. With Washington set to return as soon as this week, Georgia now has two reliable tight end targets for quarterback JT Daniels to throw to.

Brock Bowers was a five-star prospect and the top tight end in the 2021 On300 prospect rankings out of Napa (CA.) High School.

Bowers didn’t play a senior season, opting to enroll at Georgia in the spring of 2021. As a junior, Brock Bowers recorded 1,098 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns to go along with 316 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Bowers averaged over 28 yards per reception.

Darnell Washington, a 6-foot-7, 265-pound tight end from Las Vegas, Nevada, played in ten games for the Bulldogs as a freshman in 2020, starting seven. He accounted for 166 yards on 7 receptions, good for 23.7 yards a catch.

After stating on Monday that Washington would be able to “go and play” in Saturday’s game against Arkansas, Kirby Smart dialed down the expectations on Tuesday for Washington and defensive back Tykee Smith, who is returning from the same injury as Washington.

“They’ve got a ways to go,” Smart said. “I don’t know if they’ll be able to play in the game [Saturday] or not, but they’re working towards it, I can promise you that. It’s not just being cleared, it’s everything else involved. It’s being behind, stamina, execution, getting them reps. It’s tough, I’ll be honest with you. I’m still very hopeful that they both can help us.”