FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Todd Hartley is well accustomed to fielding questions about Brock Bowers. He was unbothered sharing the latest on the star tight end.
Bowers has not officially opted out of Saturday’s Orange Bowl against Florida State. But he was not with the team as it arrived in Miami on Tuesday. The Bulldogs will have another practice on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the game.
As for the reason Bowers isn’t with the team, it isn’t because he’s already moved on to the NFL. Bowers loves his team, coaches and school too much to fully turn away from it at this point.
His absence has more to do with his ankle injury.
“We don’t know. his status is still unsure,” Hartley said. “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.”
Bowers was Georgia’s leading receiver this season, despite missing three games due to that pesky ankle. He’s seen not just as the top tight end prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft but as one of the top overall prospects as well.
But the draft isn’t germane to Bowers right now. As Hartley pointed out, Bowers didn’t have to rehab as hard as he did after first injuring the ankle against Vanderbilt. He had already won two national championships and secured his place as one of, if not the, best players in Georgia football history.
Yet it still matters to the junior tight end to be a member of the Georgia football team. That’s why Hartley and Georgia haven’t closed the door on Bowers being on the sidelines, be it in street clothes or pads, ahead of Saturday’s game.
“I think he’s just focused on getting that ankle 100 percent,” Hartley said. “If he gets it 100 percent, I think he’s going to try to do everything he can to help us. And if he doesn’t, he’ll still be there to support his teammates. The good thing about right now, we still have a couple of days until we play. I know he’s battling hard.”
Kirby Smart told reporters on Tuesday that the decision was up to Bowers in terms of playing against the Seminoles. Like Hartley, Smart stressed that Bowers be as close to 100 percent as he can be.
“The guy probably played earlier than he should have, came out there and competed his butt off. He’s done everything he can for Georgia,” Smart said. “He’s not 100% so it makes it a little harder to do.”
In the event Bowers is not, Oscar Delp would be Georgia’s starting tight end, as he was for the Bulldogs during the season. Hartley also spoke highly of Georgia’s other two tight ends, freshmen Lawson Luckie and Pearce Spurlin.
Luckie had a trying first season at Georgia, as he too dealt with a high ankle sprain. He didn’t return as quickly as Bowers did, and that dealt a blow to the freshman’s confidence. Hartley has helped build that back up and feels that Luckie, now basically a sophomore at this point, can help the team moving forward.
Much of the attention though on Georgia’s tight ends will be focused on Bowers. It’s understandable why he might consider not playing in the game.
But if you think Bowers is making that decision for selfish reasons, you pretty clearly don’t know or understand what makes Bowers great.
“He didn’t have to come back. I think the people that are around him a lot know what type of person Brock is, know what type of competition Brock is,” Hartley said. “I think it just shows how much he loves his teammates, how much he loves his coaching staff and it shows how much he loves Georgia.”
