Kirby Smart provides updated injury timeline on Brock Bowers, others

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart addressed injury concerns for multiple Bulldogs, including All-American tight end Brock Bowers, during his Tuesday press conference.

Bowers underwent tight-rope surgery on his left ankle Monday. Smart was asked whether it should be expected to see him play again this season.

“You really think I gonna answer that question. Is that all this is about? Like all y’all want to talk about is whether he’s gonna be back or not. That is the furthest thing from my concern. My concern is this team and getting Brock Bowers healthy,” Smart said. “To answer that question is speculative. I’m not gonna speculate.”

Smart said they are not putting any type of timetable towards Bowers coming back at this time.

“The key is that we are trying to get him back healthy,” Smart said. “There is no timeline for when he comes back to play. The timeline is when he’s healthy, and I don’t think you could put a timeline on it because historically there’s been guys that came back really fast and there’s been guys that come out really slow. Each one’s been different.”

There have been multiple players to undergo this type of surgery across college football in recent years, Smart said, including on the Georgia roster.

The plan with Bowers is to follow that same rehab process they’ve done for previous players.

“I’ve slowly become a bigger expert on this tight-rope surgery not because of Brock because we’ve had multiple other guys and so have other teams,” Smart said. ” It’s much more common. It’s all over the NFL. So it’s happening at a higher rate, I guess you’d say, and a lot of studies have been done on it. Philosophically, to get healthy, you need to get back moving that ankle as soon as you can, meaning get on it, get weight bearing, move around. We’ve had guys going through this process so Brock will take on that same rehab process.”

In addition to Bowers, offensive lineman Xavier Truss and running back Kendall Milton both left Saturday’s win over Vanderbilt with injuries.

Smart said Milton practiced Tuesday while Truss did not.

“He did some stuff,” Smart said. “He was able to go out there and practice. I feel good about Kendall. It was not a high rep day for him but he was out there.”

With Bowers out, freshman tight end Lawson Luckie could step up in a major way for the Bulldogs. However, Luckie is coming back from an ankle injury of his own, and Smart said that while he has been cleared to play for a few weeks, he hasn’t been “ready to play.”

“You don’t fast track an injury, really any injury,” Smart said. “You do what the medical staff tells you and what the body tells you. Lawson has done a fabulous job rehabbing from his and Lawson’s a really tough kid. Both parents were college athletes. He’s not afraid of work, and he’s done a great job. I still don’t think Lawson’s 100% if that’s what you’re asking. But he’s been cleared to play. Technically since Auburn, he’s been cleared to play.”