Kirby Smart Outlines Brock Bowers' Path to a Return

On Wednesday, Kirby Smart outlined tight end Brock Bowers' path to a potential return ahead of Georgia's top-10 matchup with Ole Miss.

On Tuesday, both Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart and wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint offered promising reports on All-American tight end Brock Bowers' progress towards a return to the field. A day later, during Wednesday's SEC teleconference, Smart provided more details on what it will take for Bowers to make his much-anticipated return to the field.

Smart assiduously avoided confirming rumors and speculation that Bowers will make his return on Saturday against Ole Miss, but he also did not directly refute the possibility. Instead, he outlined the steps that his star tight end must take before he can rejoin his teammates on the field of play.

“I think there’s a lot of markers he’s got to hit. There’s more than just the marker of sheer speed,” Smart said. “One of the first things you look for on this injury is acceleration and deceleration, not GPS speed. “So, when your deceleration numbers and acceleration numbers get closer to your norm because we have a baseline on all these guys, you feel much more comfortable about it. But you have to get to that point.”

While Smart declined to provide specifics on Bowers' progress in his recovery from the high ankle sprain that has sidelined him since initially suffering the injury in the second quarter of Georgia's game against Vanderbilt on Oct. 14, he marveled at the work that the reigning Mackey Award winner has put into the rehabilitation process.

“Straight line running is not football, unfortunately, maybe on kickoff or something else, but the other areas, you’ve got to have that,” Smart said. “But he’s working towards that. I’ve never seen a person work as hard as he has to try to create an opportunity for himself.”

Bowers elected to undergo TightRope surgery, designed to reduce recovery time from the injury from 6-8 weeks to 4-6 weeks, on Monday, Oct. 16. If Bowers does indeed make his return against Ole Miss on Saturday, he will only be 26 days removed from surgery. Naturally, with the typical timeline for a return from the TightRope procedure being 4-6 weeks, it raises concerns about the potential for re-injury, particularly for a player of Bowers' ilk who is all but assured of being a first round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Smart, however, expressed confidence that when Bowers does make his return to the field, it won't represent a risk to his long-term future.

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers (19) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of a NCAA college football game against Kentucky in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 :: © Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

“I don’t think we put the future at risk at all. That’s a medical decision. We’ve got a great staff here, we’ve got unbelievable doctors here, the surgeon who did the surgery, all those things are taken into account,” Smart said. “They have boxes that you check, and when you check the boxes, it turns back to the player and their comfort level. Then it goes to the coaches to how effective they can be.”

The Georgia head coach made clear that when Bowers does return to the field, it will not be before he has checked all of the required medical boxes that will ensure he does not put himself at risk of further injury.

“Those things must be checked off before you can even go there. So, he’s not at greater risk of a long-term career thing," Smart continued. "What it boils down to is, can he help us win, is he comfortable with that, and do we think he can do the things he has to be able to do. But he’s got to be able to hit those numbers and check off those boxes before that becomes a decision.”

Despite missing each of Georgia's last two games, Bowers still leads the Bulldogs with 41 catches for 567 yards and 4 touchdowns. With that type of production, Bowers' potential returns promises to deliver a shot-in-the-arm to the Georgia offense as it navigates through the most arduous portion of its 2023 regular season schedule.

Georgia and Ole Miss are set for a 7:00 PM ET kickoff Saturday night inside Sanford Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN with College GameDay, the network's long-running college football pregame ratings king also broadcasting from Athens.

Other Georgia News:

• Two Georgia Bulldogs Earn SEC Player of the Week Awards For Week 10
• Player Profile: How Can Oscar Delp Contribute to Georgia's Success?
• WATCH: Kirby Smart Joins Media to Recap Missouri and Look Ahead to Ole Miss

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