ATHENS — Brock Bowers is one of the hardest workers Kirby Smart has ever seen, but no one is above getting called out on the practice field microphone.

Smart will be back at overseeing practices today, providing inspiration and instruction while walking around the field with a microphone that blasts his voice out over the speakers throughout the workout.

“He always has the loud mic on at practice,” the normally easy-going Bowers said at SEC Media Days last month, asked if there was anything that gets under his skin.

“And he’ll call me out sometimes and tell me I’m not winning, and that will piss me off and get to me.”

Smart smiled when asked about calling out Bowers, remembering the exact moment the All-American tight end and likely future College Football Hall of Famer was talking about.

“There was a couple of practices where Malaki Starks covered him really well and made plays, and we got to kidding Brock that we finally found someone who could cover him, No. 24 this freshman out there, and he did not like that,” Smart said.

“You could just see it, he was itching and he couldn’t quit moving and twitching, and the next day he caught like six balls on him and made sure he showed everyone that he could beat the freshman.”

Starks was one of two FWAA Freshmen All-American on the team last season, himself one of college football’s best talents.

The intense competition between elite talent is one of the reasons top prospects continue to choose Georgia, as players have shared how the practices are often epic to the point of making games seem easy.

NFL lineman and former Georgia standout Ben Cleveland explained that’s part of Smart’s magic as a head coach.

“It makes you want to put your helmet on and run through a brick wall,” Cleveland said of Smart’s motivation tactics. “You get that every day at practice, you are bound to be successful.”

Bowers said that competition and the proven line of player development is why he chose Georgia, and Smart does his part to make sure he pushes the college football legend in the making to get better in every capacity.

“He’s easily, easily the quietest, hardest worker I’ve ever been around,” Smart said at SEC Media Days, “and it’s such a joy to bring him today to see him squirm on that plane and be uncomfortable and thinking about having to talk to you guys.

“I’m so excited to see his growth he gets from visiting with you guys and getting to enjoy it.”