ATLANTA (AP) — Brock Bowers, the dynamic tight end for No. 1 Georgia and one of the nation’s most versatile offensive players, is likely to be sidelined at least a month after sustaining a high ankle sprain that requires surgery.
Georgia announced that Bowers would have surgery on his left ankle on Monday, two days after he hobbled off the field in the first half of a 37-20 victory at Vanderbilt.
Bowers’ injury puts a damper on Georgia’s bid for a third straight national title — unprecedented in The Associated Press poll era — though there is hope the preseason All-American will be able to return in time for meaningful games at the end of the season.
The school did not provide details on the surgery. But Bowers seemed likely to undergo what is known as a TightRope procedure, which stabilizes the ankle with surgical thread rather than rigid screws and generally reduces the rehab time to four to six weeks.
Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was perhaps the most prominent college athlete to have the procedure, which allowed him to return just three weeks after surgery during the 2019 season.