Brock Bowers

Brock Allen Bowers (born December 13, 2002) is an American football tight end for the Georgia Bulldogs. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2021 and won the John Mackey Award the following year. Bowers is a two-time national champion with the Bulldogs, winning in 2021 and 2022.

Brock Bowers
Bowers at Georgia's championship parade in 2022
Georgia Bulldogs No. 19
PositionTight end
ClassSophomore
MajorFinance
Personal information
Born: (2002-12-13) December 13, 2002
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career history
College
Bowl games
High schoolNapa (Napa, California)
Career highlights and awards

Early life and high school career

Bowers was born on December 13, 2002, the youngest of two children to Warren and DeAnna Bowers.[1] His parents met at Utah State University, where his mother was an All-American softball player who was later inducted into the schools athletic Hall of Fame and his father was an All-Big West center on the schools football team.[2][3] After graduating his mother became a high school math teacher and softball coach, while his father founded a construction company.[2][4][3] Growing up Bowers played a variety of sports including football, basketball, baseball and soccer.[1]

Bowers attended Napa High School in Napa, California where he played football and basketball.[5] As a freshman he played quarterback for the schools junior varsity team, running the triple option.[1] Bowers joined the varsity team as a sophomore, playing tight end and linebacker, and received his first college offer from Nevada.[1] Following his sophomore season, he attended a Nike camp where his athleticism gained the attention of college scouts and led to him receiving a flurry of offers.[1][5] As a junior, Bowers accounted for 1,499 all-purpose yards, set a school record with 14 touchdown receptions, helping lead Napa to the state playoffs just one year after the team finished 0-10.[3][6] For his efforts he was named the Napa County Player of the Year.[7] Bowers entered his senior season as a preseason All-American but the season was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions in California.[8][9][1] Unable to play or train due to restrictions, he would stay in shape by running up and down the hills of Napa.[5] Despite not playing as a senior, he would still be named to the All-American Bowl.[10]

Recruiting

Bowers was a highly sought after prospect, deemed a 4 star recruit and the 3rd ranked tight end of his class, although some programs such as Notre Dame would recruit him as a linebacker.[11][9] Despite being from the west coast, Bowers wanted to play college football in the south, due to the regions passion for football, later stating “It is a little different (in the South) — people just care a lot more about football, it’s like a religion out here."[3][9] He ultimately committed to play college football at the University of Georgia under Kirby Smart, citing his relationship with the teams tight ends coach Todd Hartley and a desire to play as a freshman as additional factors in his commitment.[12][13][1]

College career

2021

An early enrollee, Bowers arrived at Georgia in January 2021.[14] As a true freshman he was originally set to share playing time with fellow tights ends Darnell Washington, and Arik Gilbert, however prior to the season Washington broke his foot and Gilbert stepped away from the team due to personal reasons, resulting in Bowers becoming the teams primary option at tight end.[1] In his first career game, Bowers led the Bulldogs in receiving with six receptions for 43 yards in a 10-3 win over Clemson.[15][16] The following week against UAB, he caught his first two touchdowns, including a career long 89 yarder, and recorded his first 100-yard performance in a 56-7 win.[17] Two weeks later against Vanderbilt, Bowers caught two touchdowns and rushed for another en route to a blowout victory.[18] On October 16, he had another 100 yard performance, catching 5 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-13 defeat of Kentucky.[19] Bowers would have additional multi touchdown performances against Charleston Southern and rival Georgia Tech.[20] In the SEC Championship Game against Alabama, Bowers caught 10 passes for a then career-high 139 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs 41-24 loss, their first of the season.[21] Despite the loss to Alabama, Georgia qualified for the College Football Playoff as the #3 seed.[22] In the Orange Bowl semifinal against Michigan, Bowers would have 5 receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown in a 34-11 win, sending Georgia to the national championship game.[23][24] In the championship game, Georgia faced off against Alabama, who had handed the Bulldogs their lone loss of the season a month prior.[24] Bowers caught four passes in the game, including a crucial touchdown with just over 3 minutes left in the game to extend the Bulldogs lead to 8 points.[25] Georgia defeated Alabama 33-18, capturing their first national championship since 1980.[25]

At the conclusion of his freshman season, Bowers was named SEC Freshman of the Year and was included on the All-SEC first team and All-American second team.[26][27] He finished the season as Georgia's leading receiver with 56 receptions for 882 yards and a program record 13 receiving touchdowns.[28][29] He also had 56 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.[29]

Season Games Receiving Rushing
GPGSRecYardsAvgTDAttYardsAvgTD
Georgia Bulldogs
2021 15135688215.81345614.01
2022 15156394215.07910912.13
Career[30]30281191,82415.3201316512.74

References

  1. May, Jed (2022-08-31). "UGASports - Here's what made Brock Bowers America's top tight end". uga.rivals.com. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  2. James, Marty. "DeAnna Bowers selected for Utah State Athletics Hall of Fame". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  3. Kroichick, Ron (2023-03-05). "Bay Area's first NIL millionaire? Brock Bowers reaps rewards at Georgia". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  4. "About". Bruce Tucker Construction Inc. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  5. Dellenger, Ross (January 7, 2023). "Brock Bowers's Journey From Unheralded Recruit to Force of Nature". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  6. Hubbard, Drew (October 1, 2021). "'One of those special talents': Brock Bowers steps up for Georgia". The Red and Black. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  7. Freeman, Sarah (2021-10-22). "The tales of Napa football star Brock Bowers". BVM Sports. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  8. Morris, Gus. "Napa Valley Prep Football: Napa High's Brock Bowers commits to Georgia". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  9. Hummer, Steve. "Georgia Bulldogs' freshman Brock Bowers a coast-to-coast hit". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  10. Ramos, Gus (2020-08-11). "2021 All-American Brock Bowers Commits to UGA". All American Bowl | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  11. "Brock Bowers, Georgia Bulldogs, Tight End". 247Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  12. Gilmer, Blayne (August 10, 2020). "Brock Bowers Commits to Georgia Football". Sports Illustrated.
  13. Morris, Gus (August 10, 2020). "Napa Valley Prep Football: Napa High's Brock Bowers commits to Georgia". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  14. Bachman, Rachel. "Georgia's Brock Bowers Is the Vanguard of College Football's Tight End Evolution". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  15. Vitale, Joe (2021-08-24). "Georgia HC Kirby Smart loves what he sees from freshman TE Brock Bowers". University of Georgia Wire. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  16. JAMES, MARTY. "Napa County Football Insider: Bowers leads Georgia receivers in opener". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  17. Butt, Jason (2021-09-14). "UGASports - The Daily Recap: Brock Bowers impresses teammates". uga.rivals.com. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  18. "Brock Bowers leads No. 2 Georgia in rout of Vanderbilt". National Football Post. 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  19. Farner, Keith (2021-10-20). "Georgia TE Brock Bowers receives national award after huge game against Kentucky". Saturday Down South. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  20. "Brock Bowers Game by Game Stats and Performance". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  21. Towers, Chip (December 5, 2021). "A closer look at No. 1 Georgia's loss to No. 3 Alabama". ajc. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  22. Chengelis, Angelique S. "'We shoulda been No. 1': No. 2 Michigan to face Georgia in College Football Playoff". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  23. "Georgia 34-11 Michigan (Dec 31, 2021) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  24. Bromberg, Nick (December 31, 2021). "Georgia dismantles Michigan in Orange Bowl to set up rematch with Alabama for national title". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  25. Samra, Steve (2022-08-17). "Brock Bowers recalls touchdown catch in national championship game". On3. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  26. Griffith, Mike (December 8, 2021). "Kirby Smart selected Associated Press SEC Coach of Year, Brock Bowers Newcomer of Year". DawgNation. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  27. "2021 AP All-America team: Alabama's Bryce Young, Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson headline first-team selections". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  28. Spencer, Adam (2021-11-27). "Brock Bowers catches 77-yard TD pass, breaks multiple records on the play". Saturday Down South. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  29. "Brock Bowers Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  30. "Brock Bowers College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2022.


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