Kirby Smart still playing coy on Brock Bowers' status for Orange Bowl
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Speculation has surrounded the presence – or lack thereof – of Brock Bowers and Amarius Mims this week at the Orange Bowl. The Georgia team plane arrived without the two offensive stars on Tuesday, but an Instagram story post from Mims on Thursday made it clear he came to South Florida separate. How about Bowers? Kirby Smart had to answer that question on Friday during the head coaches press conference.
“We’ll see,” Smart said about Bowers.
“Amarius is here and going to be with us today,” he added on Mims.
A projected first-round pick, Bowers was a unanimous selection for All-American status this season and won his second-straight Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end. For the third straight season, the Napa, Calif. native led Georgia in receiving as he hauled in 56 passes for 714 yards and six scores. He did that in just 10 games, missing two after having tightrope ankle surgery in October and another to close out the regular season with soreness in that ankle.
“We don’t know. his status is still unsure,” Georgia tight ends coach Todd Hartley said about Bowers earlier this week. “We know he’s still battling that ankle injury that has been nagging him it seems like forever now. He’s been great in his rehab. I hope he makes it, don’t know if he will. Still something that we’re up in the air on. He’s been great in the support of his teammates throughout the prep, every since the Alabama game. We’ll see what happens.”
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Meanwhile Mims, who also projects highly in the NFL Draft, started six of the seven games he played this season. He also started a pair last year in the College Football Playoffs. Like Bowers, Mims suffered an ankle injury that required surgery. He missed more time however and ended up leaving the SEC Championship Game early with an injury as well.
No. 6 Georgia and fifth-ranked Florida State kick off the 90th playing of the Orange Bowl on Saturday at HardRock Stadium at 4:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. According to VegasInsider, the Bulldogs are 20-point favorites a day out from the top-10 showdown.
