Georgia Bulldogs Football

The Brock Bowers hype train is out in full effect after the superstar tight end turned in another dominant performance for the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

With Bowers leading the way, Georgia jumped out to a 31-0 lead early in the third quarter on South Carolina's home field.

All told, Bowers caught five passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns, plus he scored a third touchdown on a five-yard run, leading to a deluge of tweets touting the sophomore and suggesting he should be in the Heisman Trophy race.

Bowers' most ridiculous play of the day may have come during the second quarter, when he went over the top of a Gamecocks defender to pull in a six-yard touchdown:

That showcased Bowers' vertical and ability to track and locate the ball, whereas his 78-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter showed off his speed and athleticism, and prompted some Heisman talk:

The 78-yard score even earned Bowers a comparison to San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle from NFL Network scouting expert Daniel Jeremiah:

Kittle has been a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro in five NFL seasons, and based on how Bowers is dominating a high level of competition in college, he could be the next dominant tight end in the NFL along with Kittle, Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews and Kyle Pitts.

Most of those who commented on Bowers' showing Saturday on Twitter suggested he is the class of college football and already prepared for the next level:

It is almost unheard of for a tight end to be in the Heisman conversation since the award typically goes to quarterbacks and running backs, but Bowers is a special talent capable of bucking the trend.

As a freshman last season, the 6'4", 230-pound pass-catcher finished with 56 receptions for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns for a Bulldogs team that won the national championship.

Georgia beat Samford and Oregon by a combined 82-3 score in its first two games of the 2022 season, and Bowers' production was modest with five grabs for 95 yards and two touchdowns.

He announced his arrival on Saturday, however, and if he keeps up that level of play, he could find himself in New York City for the Heisman ceremony in December.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was feeling good following his team's 49-3 victory over No. 11 Oregon in Saturday's season opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Smart took a little dig at Oregon's roster while complimenting head coach Dan Lanning.

"He's gonna do a really good job at Oregon," Smart said of his former defensive coordinator. "He's relentless. They'll bounce back from this, and he knows we have better players. He'll never say that, but he knows we've got better players."

It was likely meant as a playful comment, as Lanning worked on Smart's staff with the Bulldogs for four seasons before getting the Oregon job in December.

One of the most-hyped games on the Week 1 schedule, Georgia had no issues in its first test as the reigning national champion. The offense scored touchdowns on each of their first seven drives and racked up 571 yards of total offense, including a career-high 368 through the air from Stetson Bennett.

Any concern that losing a record 15 players to the NFL draft would put a dent in the Bulldogs' talent pool was quickly dispelled.

Senior running back Kenny McIntosh, who ranked sixth on the team with 242 receiving yards last year, is nearly halfway to that total after one game in 2022 (117).

The defense held Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, making his first start after transferring from Auburn, to 173 passing yards on 37 attempts. He threw interceptions on consecutive possessions in the first half.

About the only positive takeaway for the Ducks is they did have success running the ball with 140 yards on 31 carries.

There was never any doubt Georgia was the more talented team coming into the game. Smart and his staff do a fantastic job recruiting every year. They have had multiple years to build up this program with star players and depth.

Lanning is in his first season with the Ducks. They will likely be fine the rest of the year when they aren't playing arguably the best team in the country.

A pair of high-profile quarterbacks are near the top of ESPN NFL draft expert Todd McShay's early rankings for the 2023 NFL draft.

Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Alabama's Bryce Young are ranked third and fourth, respectively, but defensive players primarily dominate the top five.

Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. is the No. 1 overall player on McShay's big board, while Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is second and Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith is fifth.

Both Stroud and Young were starting quarterbacks at the collegiate level for the first time last season, and each of them thrived.

Stroud finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting after completing 71.9 percent of his passes for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Meanwhile, Young completed 66.9 percent of his passing attempts for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions en route to winning the Heisman.

Stroud and Young are widely considered the top two quarterbacks in the nation entering the 2022 season both in terms of producing at the collegiate level and establishing themselves as potential top picks in the 2023 NFL draft.

The quarterback talent promises to be rich in the 2023 draft, as McShay also gave Kentucky's Will Levis and Miami's Tyler Van Dyke first-round grades by ranking them 21st and 26th, respectively.

If those rankings hold up, the 2023 draft will be significantly different from the 2022 draft, as only one quarterback was selected in the first round this year.

The Pittsburgh Steelers took Pitt's Kenny Pickett 20th overall, and the next quarterback didn't come off the board until the Atlanta Falcons selected Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder 74th overall in the third round.

Last season also marked the first time since 2017 and only the second time since 2015 that a quarterback didn't go first overall.

Stroud and Young are strong candidates to go No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft depending on the order, but if a team that doesn't need a quarterback picks first, Anderson could be a clear choice.

Anderson finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season after racking up a spectacular 17.5 sacks and 31 tackles for loss for a Crimson Tide team that reached the National Championship Game.

The past three non-quarterbacks to go No. 1 overall in the draft were all pass-rushers in Jadeveon Clowney, Myles Garrett and Travon Walker, meaning Anderson could be the prospect to beat at this point.

Defensive standout Joenel Aguero has committed to Georgia.

The four-star prospect announced his selection of the Bulldogs on Saturday on CBS Sports HQ.

Aguero is rated as the 34th player overall and the third-ranked safety in the 2023 class, per 247Sports' composite ratings. He's also listed as the second-best prospect out of Massachusetts.

247Sports' national recruiting analyst Brian Dohn provided a scouting report on the 6'0", 195-pound safety out of St. John's Prep:

"Frame to play at 195 to 205 in college. Elite safety prospect who has receiver ability. Missed part of freshman season with ankle injury. Overwhelming physical ability in Massachusetts high school scene. Can play in the box or in coverage. Aggressive playing down hill. Excellent body control. Breaks down and changes direction. Accelerates quickly and has top gear. Shows closing speed. Plays physical. Has to continue to develop backpedal and hip flexibility to open and run deep. Needs to develop man coverage skills to cover slot. Multi-year starter at high-level Power 5 school."

Aguero has a long career ahead of him and has NFL potential if he continues developing at the same rate throughout college.

The Bulldogs have had Aguero on campus several times since June 2021, and he is also very good friends with former Georgia defensive back and 2022 Minnesota Vikings first-round pick Lewis Cine, who gave his team an advantage in the recruiting process:

"He's just telling me Georgia is a great school all-around education-wise and it is a great school and all that," Aguero said, per Jeff Sentell of DawgNation.com. "But then you know Kirby Smart is a defensive guy and he played safety so he kind of just loves his safeties and prioritizes them. It is kind of really good for me."

Aguero also discussed what he liked about the Bulldogs.

"The biggest thing I like about Georgia is the vibe I get from them," he said. "When I went down there, I only got that vibe from like a couple of schools. Like three really. When I was there, I was comfortable being there. It felt good being there. It kind of felt like I was meant to be there if you know what I am saying."

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is sticking up for his starting quarterback heading into the 2022 season.

Speaking to reporters during SEC media days on Wednesday, Smart called Stetson Bennett "one of the least respected good players in the country."

"The kid is a tremendous athlete," added Smart. "He's got good arm strength. People keep doubting him, and that's fine with me."

It's certainly easy to forget what Bennett did for the Bulldogs during their run to the national title last season because of how much talent the roster had.

Georgia had 15 players selected in the 2022 NFL draft, setting a new seven-round record that dates back to 1994. That includes a record five defensive players being taken in the first round.

The 2021 Bulldogs were one of the best defensive teams in college football history. They led the nation with 10.2 points allowed per game and 4.16 yards allowed per play.

Per Josh Planos of FiveThirtyEight.com, Georgia also topped the nation in red zone efficiency (28.1 percent), goal-to-go efficiency (30.8 percent) and tackle percentage (88.7).

This was the second time in three years that Georgia had the best defense by points allowed per game. The 2019 squad ranked first in FBS with 12.6 points allowed per contest, but missed out on the College Football Playoff after losing to LSU in the SEC Championship Game.

The difference between the two teams was offensive efficiency. The 2019 team ranked 21st nationally in Football Outsiders' FEI metric that measures the points per possession scoring advantage a team would be expected to have on a neutral field against an average opponent.

The 2021 Bulldogs finished third in FEI, behind only Ohio State and Alabama.

Bennett, who was a walk-on at Georgia in 2017 and played behind Jake Fromm in 2019, made significant strides as a passer last season. The 24-year-old threw for 2,862 yards, 29 touchdowns and completed 64.5 percent of his attempts.

It's been easy to overlook Bennett because he played on one of the most loaded rosters in college football history last season. He's also not the best quarterback in the SEC—Alabama's Bryce Young won the 2021 Heisman Trophy.

Young got the best of Bennett in their first head-to-head meeting last season. The Crimson Tide star threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-24 win in the SEC Championship Game.

However, Bennett got the last laugh in Georgia's 33-18 victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship. He finished 17-of-26 for 224 yards and two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter.

Four-star linebacker Troy Bowles, who is ranked second at his position and 44th overall on 247Sports' class of 2023 composite high school football prospect rankings, announced his commitment to play college ball for the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs.

The 6'1", 205-pound Bowles is the son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles. The younger Bowles plays high school ball at Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida.

Jesuit has been phenomenal with Bowles patrolling the linebacker spot. The team has gone 29-1 in the last two seasons, including 15-0 in 2021 en route to Florida’s 6A title. He won MaxPreps Junior All-American second-team honors last year.

In addition, Bowles participates in basketball and track and field at Jesuit.

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports provided a glowing scouting report and projected him as a future Day 2 pick in the NFL draft. His report, from Feb. 2022, read in part:

"One of the more complete three-down linebacker prospects to come out of Florida recently given his ability to not only take on blocks and blitz, but also cover tight ends and running backs. Has done nothing but produce since he was a freshman at one of the Sunshine State’s more tradition-rich high school programs totaling over 250 tackles, 12 sacks and 5 interceptions his first three years on varsity. Intelligent player that has a good feel for what’s going on around him..."

Per 247Sports, Bowles had 41 offers and made visits to UGA, Ohio State and Oklahoma.

Bowles is highly thought of around the ranking industry. Rivals has him 85th overall, and ESPN puts him at No. 26.

Now the high-potential prospect has settled on the Bulldogs, who have created a rich defensive tradition. The Bulldogs allowed the fewest points per game last year and also landed five defensive players in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Bowles could very well add his name to that long lineage of defensive stars when he steps foot on campus in Athens, which now features 247Sports' sixth-ranked class of 2023.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart didn't find anything amiss upon learning how few interactions Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher have with each other.

Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Smart generally downplayed the war of words between Saban and Fisher, explaining how it's "not super unusual to me" for two coaches not to speak with each other:

Saban drew the ire of Fisher when the Alabama head coach said Texas A&M "bought every player on their team—made a deal for name, image, likeness."

Fisher and his coaching staff assembledthe No. 1 class in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2022, and it could be a historically significant group for the Aggies.

While Saban was clearly taking a shot across A&M's bow,he likely had a different intention behind his comments given his audience. He was speaking with local business leaders, the same ones who might need to arrange the kind of NIL deals that will help Alabama land the blue-chip recruits who regularly signed with the Crimson Tide in the pre-NIL era.

Whether Saban was largely attempting to send a message to his booster base was apparently irrelevant to Fisher. The Aggies head coach quickly arranged a press conference for the ages.

Fisher told reporters he didn't answer a call from Saban in the aftermath of the initial comments and added, "We're done."

Smart added a helpful perspective, though.

The 46-year-old was an assistant under Saban with the Miami Dolphins in 2006 and followed him to Alabama before finally taking the Georgia job in 2016.

In December, Smart said Saban "meant a lot in my career" and that he "had a tremendous time while I was at Alabama." Still, Smart added he and Saban "don't communicate daily or anything" and that maintaining an open line of communication is tough because of family and the time demands of their jobs.

Fisher's public broadside against Saban was surprising, but frosty relationships between rival coaches probably isn't all that uncommon. That's likely especially true in the SEC because of how competitive the conference is.

When you're competing to sign the same players on the recruiting trail and chasing the same on-field achievements, feeling any sort of camaraderie toward your peers might be tough.

It appears Kirby Smart is planning to remain at Georgia for a long time. 

The national championship-winning head coach and the Georgia Bulldogs are finalizing a long-term contract extension, school president Jere Morehead said, per The Athletic's Seth Emerson.

Morehead said the deal will be "commensurate … with a national championship-winning coach."

Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks noted that the negotiation process between the school and Smart has gone well. 

"We work closely with his agent [Jimmy Sexton] on it," Brooks said. "It’s been a great process with him. No qualms there. It’s been a great process."

Smart is expected to become one of the highest-paid head coaches in college football. The terms of the deal are unclear, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him paid similarly to USC's Lincoln Riley, Alabama's Nick Saban, LSU's Brian Kelly and Michigan State's Mel Tucker, all of who have been reported to be making more than $9 million per year.

Smart's new contract will mark his second extension with Georgia. After the 2017 season, he signed a seven-year, $49 million extension with the school. When he took over as head coach of the Bulldogs in 2016, he signed a six-year deal that paid him $3.75 million annually. 

It would be a well-deserved extension for Smart, who led Georgia to a 14-1 record last season en route to the school's first national title since 1980. The 2021 campaign was his sixth season as the team's head coach.

Smart has been head coach of the Bulldogs since 2016. He has gone 66-15 in that span and is 6-2 in bowl games. Georgia's two bowl losses came in the 2018 national title game against Alabama and the 2019 Sugar Bowl against Texas. 

Before taking over as head coach of the Bulldogs, Smart served as a defensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2008-15. He also served as Alabama's defensive backs coach in 2007 and was a safeties coach for the Miami Dolphins in 2006. 

In his earlier coaching days, Smart was a defensive backs coach for LSU (2004) and a running backs coach for Georgia (2005). He got his start as an administrative assistant for Georgia in 1999 and went on to serve as the defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator at Valdosta State in 2000 and 2001 before serving as a graduate assistant at Florida State from 2002-03. 

Herschel Walker, a former standout running back at the University of Georgia who captured the Heisman Trophy in 1982, won the Republican Party nomination for Senate in Georgia on Tuesday night.

Walker dominated the six-person GOP field with 68.2 percent of the vote, according to the state's official election website. No one else received more than 13.4 percent with 95 percent of precincts reported.

The 60-year-old Georgia native advances to face incumbent Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock in the general election. It'll mark the first time in the state's history that both major party candidates for a Senate seat are Black, per ESPN.

Walker has faced multiple allegations of domestic abuse, including two instances where women said he threatened to kill them, according to CNN's Manu Raju and Alex Rogers.

Walker has denied the allegations.

In 2008, the former NFL star said he was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder and sought treatment for mental illness after an incident where he played Russian roulette with a loaded pistol.

"To challenge death like I was doing, you start saying, there's a problem here," Walker told ABC News at the time.

Mitch McConnell, the minority leader for the Senate GOP, told CNN he came away "entirely comfortable" after looking into Walker's past.

His Senate bid was bolstered by an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who remains a key influencer in the Republican Party ahead of a possible 2024 Presidential bid.

"You were the greatest football player, and you'll be an even greater politician," Trump said while congratulating Walker on his primary victory, per CNBC's Kevin Breuninger.

The running back played for Trump's New Jersey Generals in the USFL in the mid-1980s before moving on to the NFL, where he earned two Pro Bowl selections during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. He also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.

Warnock, a pastor from Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, won a special election in 2021 to fill the remainder of Johnny Isakson's term after his retirement in 2019 because of health reasons.

The Georgia Senate race will be one of the country's most closely watched heading into the Nov. 8 general election because it could help decide the balance of power in the Senate, which currently has a 50-50 split.

Either Warnock or Walker will win a full six-year term in Congress.