For young football players away from home for the very first time, homesickness can be real

That was apparently the case for tight end and Napa, California native Brock Bowers, who revealed Wednesday that his first few days as a Bulldog two Decembers ago wasn’t quite what he had bargained for.

“I definitely had some doubts, especially when I first got here,” Bowers said. “I remember calling my mom and saying, 'I don’t know, this is hard. It’s just a completely different change.' But once I got used to the change, it was all good. This was exactly where I wanted to be.”

The key to making that happen?

"I’ll say just getting closer to people and making more friends and everything,” Bowers said. “It was just about finding my spot here and football, getting my groove in school, and having that same routine.”

Bulldog fans are certainly glad it all worked out.

In just two seasons, you won’t find much argument that Bowers is already the greatest tight end in Georgia history. Going into the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against Ohio State, Bowers leads the Bulldogs with 52 catches for 726 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 93 more and three scores.

The effort was enough to win him the Mackey Award as the country’s best tight end, although the trophy was an accolade he was never focused on.

“It’s nice to have those individual accolades but we’ve still got two games to finish out this year and I want to win them all,” shrugged Bowers, who said his only focus is on the Buckeyes (11-1) in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

“We started off (bowl practice) kind of focusing on ourselves, getting our schoolwork done, before finally focusing on Ohio State,” he said. “We’re at the point where we’re concentrating on them a lot. Just doing our usual thing before the game.”

Having the extra time to prepare certainly helps.

“We have a decent amount of time now with no school,” Bowers said. “But it obviously helps to have more time before the game, too. That helps.”

Speaking after head coach Kirby Smart met with the media to discuss this year’s signing class, Bowers reflected more on his first weeks with the Bulldogs as an early enrollee.

He knows exactly what this year’s group of newcomers has in store.

“It helped me so much because there’s so much to learn, especially the playbook. I learned so much football when I got here,” Bowers said. “It’s a lot more than just running around and catching the ball. You also have to adjust to the speed because it’s something you’ve never seen before.”

Of the current 17 early enrollees, two also play tight end. Lawson Luckie is already here and working out with the team. Fellow signee Pearce Spurling is scheduled to arrive in early January.

“I follow who is getting recruited in the tight end room and connect to them. I don’t pay too much attention to the other guys, really,” Bowers said. “I’m sure guys at the other positions do, but when I see something posted I’ll go check them out.”

His advice to them is simple.

“Just show up every day, be consistent and just prove to everyone that you can do your job day in and day out,” said Bowers, who said that was the same advice he received upon arriving in Athens.

“They tell recruits if you can play, we’ll get you in. That helps your mindset. That’s what helped me. You prove yourself and they’ll find a spot for you somewhere.”