ATHENS — Brock Bowers would be open to a move to running back. He played the position in high school and is pretty adept at making defenders miss in the open field.
Given the injury situation for Georgia at running back entering the opening game against UT-Martin, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to image Bowers lined up behind or next to Carson Beck.
“I’d be open to it,” Bowers said when asked about playing running back. “It’s fun whenever you get the ball in your hands and try and make something happen. If they tell me to go to running back, I’ll do whatever.”
To this point in his career, Bowers does have four rushing touchdowns. Bowers isn’t the only player who has been tinkered with at the running back position. Georgia also tried to get wide receiver Dillon Bell some looks at running back in practice last week. Like Bowers, he played the position in high school.
“Dillon, we need at wide out, we need Dillon on special teams,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Dillon has had a really good camp in terms of being a wide receiver.”
Part of the reason for the experimentation so close to the start of the regular season is because both of Georgia’s top running backs are dealing with injury. Daijun Edwards tweaked his MCL during Georgia’s second scrimmage. Kendall Milton has been dealing with a hamstring injury for pretty much all of fall camp.
Georgia lost Branson Robinson for the season when he ruptured his patella tendon earlier in August. It was not a great first month of practice for the Georgia running back room.
Smart did provide some optimism when it comes to Edwards, as the senior running back will practice on Monday. Edwards was spotted at practice last week with a knee brace on his right knee, working away from Georgia’s healthy running backs.
“He’s actually doing great,” Smart said. “He’s going to be able to practice today and do everything. We feel good about Daijun’s status.”
As for Milton, Smart estimates the senior running back is about 80 to 90 percent of the way back from his hamstring injury. Georgia hopes to get him back at practice this week. He was in a black non-contact jersey at practice last week.
Beyond those two, Smart was positive about Georgia’s healthy running backs based on what he has seen in practice.
“I feel good about Andrew Paul. Rod Robinson’s had a great camp,” Smart said. “Cash (Jones) has had a good camp. Really got a bunch of guys who have repped and done some good things there.
Jones is the only one of the three who has ever registered a carry, with Paul coming back from a torn ACL and Roderick Robinson being a 2023 signee.
Running back health will be a season-long story to monitor. Paul and Milton both have injury histories and the Bulldogs have only four scholarship running backs to start the 2023 campaign.
In addition to the injury concerns, Georgia is also having to replace Kenny McIntosh. He led Georgia in rushing and was the team’s third-leading receiver in 2023. He was an instrumental piece in each of Georgia’s last two championships.
Georgia has cast a wide net to try and find production at the running back position. The practice usage of Bowers and Bell illustrates that.
But ultimately, this position will go as far as the healthy running backs are able to carry it.
“I feel good about the backs we have,” Smart said. “I’d feel a lot better if Daijun and Kendall were 100%. We’ll see where they are today.”
