2021 An early enrollee, Bowers arrived at Georgia in January 2021. As a
true freshman, he was originally set to share playing time with fellow tights ends
Darnell Washington and
Arik Gilbert. The following week against
UAB, he caught his first two touchdowns, including a career-long 89-yard reception, and recorded his first 100-yard performance in a 56–7 win. Two weeks later against
Vanderbilt, Bowers caught two touchdowns and rushed for another en route to a
blowout victory. On October 16, he had another 100-yard performance, catching five passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns in a 30–13 defeat of
Kentucky. Bowers had additional multi-touchdown performances against
Charleston Southern and rival
Georgia Tech. In the
SEC Championship Game against
Alabama, Bowers caught 10 passes (the most by a tight end in SEC Championship history) for a then career-high 139 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs 41–24 loss, their first of the season. Despite the loss to Alabama, Georgia qualified for the
College Football Playoff as the third seed. In the
Orange Bowl semifinal against
Michigan, Bowers made five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown in a 34–11 win, sending Georgia to the national championship game. In the
championship game, Georgia faced off against Alabama, who had handed the Bulldogs their lone loss of the season a month prior. Georgia defeated Alabama 33–18, capturing their first national championship since
1980. He finished the season as Georgia's leading receiver with 56 receptions for 882 yards and a
program record 13 receiving touchdowns. He also had 56 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. In the Bulldogs season opener against
Oregon, he had two receptions for 38 yards in a 49–3 victory. The following week against
Kent State, he would have the best game of his career on the ground, rushing for 77 yards and two touchdowns in a 39–22 victory. In the Bulldogs victory over
Florida, Bowers recorded a career-high 154 receiving yards on five receptions, including an improbable 73-yard touchdown catch off of a deflection which some media outlets dubbed the "catch of the season". Following a victory over
LSU in the SEC Championship, the undefeated Bulldogs advanced to the College Football Playoff as the no. 1 seed. In the
Peach Bowl semi-final against
Ohio State, Bowers caught four passes for 64 yards, including a crucial
fourth down conversion in the final quarter to extend an eventual touchdown drive. In the
championship game, he caught a season-high seven passes for 152 yards and a touchdown on his final catch of the year to help Georgia capture their second consecutive national championship in a 65–7 blowout of TCU, the largest margin of victory in championship history. At the conclusion of his sophomore season, Bowers was named a first team
All-American and won the
John Mackey Award for the nation's best tight end. He once again finished the season as Georgia's leading receiver with 63 receptions for 942 yards and seven touchdowns as well as 109 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
2023 Bowers won the John Mackey Award again in 2023, making him the only two-time winner for that award. He won the award despite missing three games in 2023 due to an ankle injury. He still led Georgia in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, something he accomplished in all three of his seasons at UGA. In 10 games, Bowers caught 56 passes for 714 yards and six touchdowns. Bowers declared for the
2024 NFL draft following the 2023 season. A three-time All-American, he has been cited as among the greatest tight ends in college football history. ==Professional career==