Georgia coach Kirby Smart says he doesn't have a recovery timeline in mind for star tight end Brock Bowers, who underwent surgery for an ankle injury sustained in the Bulldogs' road win over Vanderbilt.
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Speaking after practice in Athens, Smart reiterated his only concern was getting the All-American healthy after having TightRope surgery — a procedure that involves using surgical thread to speed recovery progress. It was performed by Dr. Norman Waldrop III at Andrews Sports Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama.
"You really think I'm going to answer that question?" Smart said. "I mean, is that all this is about? All y'all want to talk about is if he is going to be back or not. Like that is the furthest thing from my concern right now. My concern is this team and getting Brock Bowers healthy. To answer that question is speculative, and I'm not going to speculate."
The typical recovery time for this type of surgery is reportedly four to six weeks.
Brock Bowers
High-ankle sprain, left
If he has ‘tightrope’ surgery, likely to miss 4-6 weeks.
Will be 100% by New Years. pic.twitter.com/EOws3BohZG
— Jesse Morse, MD (@DrJesseMorse) October 16, 2023
However, Smart said UGA Director of Sports Medicine Ron Courson will work with Waldrop to develop a plan for Bowers, who started recovery on Tuesday.
"Philosophically, to get healthy, you need to get back moving that ankle as soon as you can, meaning get on it, get weight bearing and move around," Smart said. "We've had guys going through this process, so Brock will take on that same rehab process. His surgeon and Ron will work together on that, and it won't be done any different. The key is that we are trying to get him back healthy.
"There is no timeline for when he comes back to play. The timeline is when he's healthy, and I don't think you can put a timeline on it because historically there have been guys that came back really fast and there've been guys that came back really slow. Each one has been different."
The defending national champion Bulldogs are now 7-0. This season, Bowers has had 41 receptions for 567 yards and four touchdowns.
