Brock Bowers Makes SEC History
For years one of the narratives surrounding Georgia’s football program was that the Bulldogs do not use their tight ends. Which, for the most part, was true for the last few years. The responsibility in the offense for the tight ends was to be more of a help as a run blocker, Georgia often used in-line tight ends lining up along the line of scrimmage alongside the offensive linemen.
On the other hand, Georgia never had the athleticism nor the weaponry of a Brock Bowers or Darnell Washington, like they do today. Both Bowers and Washington showed serious potential in their freshman year, and Bowers hasn’t turned the page yet on his first year at the collegiate level.
As a freshman, Washington didn’t get the same attention that Bowers has this year. Although Georgia slowly integrated the young tight end into their offense, Washington was asked to play more in-line and help as a blocker early on. Still, as the season progressed, they moved him around to create advantageous matchups with his height and freak athleticism.
Bowers, on the other hand, has been Georgia’s most diverse weapon on offense. Whether he lines up in-line as a traditional tight end or plays on the outside or in the slot. The true freshman out of Napa, California, made the most of Georgia’s early-season injuries, including Darnell Washington, who missed the first five games with a foot injury.
Following this weekend’s two-touchdown performance in the win over Charleston Southern at home, Bowers made history. According to Kevin Keneely on Twitter, Bowers became the first true freshman tight end in the SEC to have 500+ receiving yards and 8+ touchdowns in over 20 years.
With 552 yards receiving and eight touchdowns as a receiver, Bowers has made an early impact since coming to Athens after missing out on his senior season in high school due to COVID-19. With one more regular-season game still to be played, it looks like Bowers could be the front runner for the John Mackey Award, annually given to the best tight end in college football. If he were to win the award, he’d become the first in Georgia’s history, serving a knockout blow to the narrative that “Georgia doesn’t use their tight ends.”
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