MIAMI – When the Georgia Bulldogs arrived in Miami on Tuesday to prepare for the Orange Bowl, two offensive starters were not among them.
Georgia tight end Brock Bowers and right tackle Amarius Mims were not among the players and coaches when the team landed in Miami and got off the plane. Additionally, freshman outside linebacker Damon Wilson was not with the team after reportedly dealing with a knee injury.
Notable players in attendance included wide receiver Ladd McConkey, cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safety Javon Bullard.
Another notable player to make the trip was cornerback Daniel Harris, who entered the portal on Monday.
“Right now we have guys playing healthy,” Smart said when asked about opt-outs. “Men who are completely healthy are allowed to play, they have all said they will play.”
Smart was later asked specifically about Bowers.
“That’s up to Brock. Brock was with us the whole time and did everything he had to do,” Smart said. “But what is more important is that he is at 100%. The guy probably played earlier than he should have, came out and played his butt off. He did everything he could for Georgia. He’s not at 100% and that makes it a little more difficult.”
Bowers faced high expectations entering 2023, but was able to meet them early in the year. He had at least 50 yards in five of Georgia's first seven games and stole the show at Auburn, a game in which Bowers shined in the fourth quarter, recording 8 receptions for 157 yards and 1 touchdown, and against Kentucky, when Bowers had 7 receptions for 132 yards and another score.
Bowers suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter of Georgia's game against Vanderbilt in Week 7. Soon after, he underwent rope surgery and worked diligently to return to the field.
Bowers recovered from his injury and played in Georgia's home game against Ole Miss, which came just 26 days after his surgery. He caught three passes for 34 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs' 52-17 victory over the Rebels.
“We repeated this play, I swear, every single week, every single day for about three years. That was the first time we actually used it in a game,” Bowers said a few days after the game. “I think it’s the right coverage to throw the ball to the Y. It came up, I pointed down and I saw him there and thought, 'Oh man, this could be good.' It felt really good to just come back, just score and be able to celebrate with all the guys on the sideline . It was fun.”
Bowers had seven receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown the following week against Tennessee before missing the Georgia Tech game because of ankle soreness. He qualified for the Bulldogs' SEC championship game against Alabama and had five receptions for 53 yards in the Bulldogs' 27-24 loss to the Crimson Tide.
Mims was the Bulldogs' starting right tackle entering 2023. In Week 3 against South Carolina, he suffered an ankle injury that required rope surgery. He returned to the Ole Miss game and played in the three following games, although he left the Alabama game with an injury.