The Georgia Bulldogs were shorthanded early in the season. Coming into their week one matchup with Clemson, they were down a number of starters on the offensive side of the football. Among those, seven of them were pass catchers. The Dawgs needed someone to step up.
That someone was, and is, Brock Bowers.
In that matchup, the freshman tight end accounted for 6 catches and 43 yards. He followed it up with an outstanding 109-yard, two touchdown performance against UAB.
Bowers has been nothing short of sensational over the course of his young career in Athens. His 18 receptions for 272 yards and four touchdowns are inching closer and closer to the record held by our very own Randy McMichael. More importantly than that, he has been the safety valve for the Georgia offense and, according to Brandon Adams, the team's best offensive weapon.
"I know it's probably weird to hear that about a freshman and it's not really supposed to be that way," Adams told College Football Gametime. "But seeing him and some of the things he did over the course of the first four games, he is the kind of guy that has that physicality and the run-away-from-you speed."
The 6-4, 230-pound freshman was highly touted out of high school as a four-star recruit and third-ranked tight-end prospect. His teammates raved about him all offseason. Yet, through all of that, he has still managed to exceed expectations.
"Statistically, he's on pace to match or maybe even exceed what George Pickens did in his freshman season in 2019," Adams said. "This is more than just a good young tight end. This is a guy right now that has given Georgia the weapon in the passing game that it hasn't had very frequently during the Kirby Smart era."
His athleticism is consistently put on full display whether it's his 9.6 yards after catch average (how many tight ends can break off an 89-yard touchdown reception?) or, his outstanding blocking acumen.
Now with many of those aforementioned weapons beginning to make their way back, teams will be unable to focus all of their attention on the freshman. While his numbers may see a slight dip, the diversified skill group has all the makings of a terrifying skill group for opposing defenses.
So who is the best weapon for the Dawgs? Well, for now, and perhaps the foreseeable future, that guy is Brock Bowers.
