What will Brock Bowers do for an encore after his record-breaking freshman year?

The sophomore All-SEC performer was asked that very question following practice Tuesday, his first in-person interview with Georgia beat writers since arriving in Athens a season ago.

“I guess we’ll see,” Bowers said. “I’m just taking it day-by-day. I’m not trying to focus on the whole-scheme thing, I’m trying to focus on the next thing.”

However, he does have some goals.

“I guess just working on little stuff the passing game, being more physical and striking people in the run game,” said Bowers. “I’m just going to go out there and work as hard as I can every day.”

What Bowers accomplished last year for the Bulldogs quite simply was one of the finest seasons ever for a Bulldog freshman.

A member of the Associated Press and Coaches’ All-SEC First Team, Bowers finished as Georgia’s leading receiver with 56 catches for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns. Both established records for a Bulldog tight end, while the 13 touchdown catches were the most by any receiver in Georgia history, breaking the old mark of 12 held by Terrence Edwards.

He caught a career-high and SEC Championship Game record (for a tight end) 10 passes against Alabama, one of four games he had of over 100 yards.

“I was just kind of taking every game for what it was,” Bowers said. “I just worked hard throughout the weeks. But I guess about halfway through the season I kind of looked back, and I was like, I’m actually doing pretty good. I was kind of surprised looking back at it; I don’t really feel I did much special, I don’t think.”

Most everyone else would certainly disagree.

Despite not playing his senior year after his team’s season was canceled due to Covid, Bowers came to Athens with a reputation for versatility.

“I thought I was going to be a tight end ever since my freshman year, but my freshman year I moved to quarterback because we needed a quarterback to run the triple-option,” Bowers said. “When that got changed, I moved to receiver because I was pretty skinny. My junior year is when I kind of settled into the role, because I knew I was going to fill out more.”

He’s also completely healthy after missing the spring following Labrum surgery.

You’ll recall in the Orange Bowl, Bowers was forced to come out late in the game against Michigan after aggravating what had been a shoulder injury he suffered earlier in the year.

The rising sophomore was able to play through the pain, returning in the national championship to catch four passes for 36 yards and a touchdown against the Crimson Tide.

“I hurt it (his shoulder) right after the SEC Championship game. It was during practice in December,” he said. “I played the playoff game and the national championship with it. But during spring, I couldn’t practice, and I was on the sideline with it, running a bunch and working off to the side.”

With Bowers now 100 percent, this year’s tight end room figures to be even more dynamic than it was last year.

Along with Bowers, Georgia will feature a healthy Darnell Washington, Arik Gilbert, a talented freshman in Oscar Delp, along with a pair of sometimes overlooked performers in Brett Seither and Ryland Goede.

“We have so many great athletes,” Bower said. “Everyone pushes each other, everyone feeds off each other.”