Brock Bowers takes home tight end hardware, wins second straight Mackey Award
Announced Friday night, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers is once again the winner of the John Mackey Award for the nation’s top tight end. After taking home the hardware last year, Bowers becomes the first ever two-time winner.
Bowers beat out fellow finalists Ohio State’s Cade Stover and Dallin Holker of Colorado State. Previous recipients of the award include recents like Tre McBride (2021), Kyle Pitts (2020), TJ Hockenson (2018) and Mark Andrews (2018) as well as all-time greats at the position like Dallas Clark (2002), Heath Miller (2004) and Mercedes Lewis (2005) among others.
Bowers, who’s a projected first round pick, has been an impactful player for the Bulldogs since his arrival in Athens in 2021. A freshman out of Napa, Calif., he stepped in and led the team in receiving with with 56 catches, 882 yards and 13 touchdowns. Not only was he named an All-American and National Freshman of the Year for his efforts, but Bowers also managed to break school records for in-season receiving touchdowns regardless of positions, plus catches and yards for a tight end.
Things didn’t slow down for Bowers in 2022 either. An outstanding sophomore season saw him top his totals from the previous year (63 receptions, 942 receiving yards) on his way to All-American nods and Georgia’s first-ever Mackey Award. On top of what Bowers did as a receiver, he also added to his stats as a runner with 109 yards and three trips to the end zone on the ground to bring his total over 1,000 yards and to 10 touchdowns. He once again finished first on the team in all three receiving categories.
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Many looked to Bowers’ 2023 season as the one that might give Georgia just its second 1,000-yard receiver, and for some time he was on pace to do so. Against Auburn, Bowers scored the game-winning touchdown as part of a career-high 157-yard day. He also had big outings against UAB and Kentucky before suffering a sprained ankle against Vanderbilt in mid-October.
Bowers underwent tightrope surgery to repair the injury, missing two games, and while he returned in almost no time (26 days to be exact), he couldn’t quite get back to being the same player as he was before. Still, only playing in 10 games, Bowers managed to match his reception total (56 catches for 714 yards and six touchdowns) from a 15-game 2021 campaign and finished the season as Georgia’s top receiver for the third straight season, the first Bulldog to do so since AJ Green (2008-10).
Bowers has not officially declared for the draft but is expected to do so. His status for the Orange Bowl has yet to be announced either. However, if he doesn’t catch another ball in red and black, he’ll certainly go down as one of the greatest to ever suit up at Georgia, ranking third in career receptions (175), fifth in receiving yards (2,538) and second in touchdowns caught (26).
