Georgia Bulldogs giving back to community ahead of holidays
Georgia players are getting out in the community in all the right ways ahead of the holiday season. Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Micah Morris used his ability to benefit from name, image and likeness to help buy Christmas gifts for the Boys and Girls Club of Athens on Friday while Saturday morning saw Bulldog stars Malaki Starks and Brock Bowers were at a give-back event shopping with kids at a local Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Morris saw action in six games this season as a reserve offensive lineman after playing in a pair of games last season, his first with the program. The Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.) product was a four-star prospect ranked the No. 63 overall player and No. 8 offensive tackle in the Class of 2021.
Earlier this season, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart shared that Morris was one of the best stories around when it comes to NIL. At SEC Media Days, Smart said that because of the ability to make money while still in college, Morris was able to send money back to his father who is on dialysis. His NIL valuation according to On3 comes in at $56,000.
As for Starks and Bowers, they are two starters and among the most notable players that the Bulldogs have on their team. Starks started 12 of 13 games for Georgia at safety, taking over after the opener, and finished third on the team in tackles with 63 total stops. He led the team in pass breakups with seven while coming down with a pair of interceptions. He’s a finalist for the 2022 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, as well as the On3 True Freshman All-American Team. Meanwhile, Bowers led the team in all three receiving categories with 52 catches for 726 yards and six touchdowns. He also added 93 yards and three touchdowns on six carries. Bowers won the John Mackey Award for the nation’s top tight end while also being a finalist or semifinalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award as the nation’s top lineman and the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver. Overall his efforts were recognized as a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
“What a weapon he is,” Smart said in speaking about Bowers earlier this season. “What a tough character he is. He makes you defend the whole 53, right? When he comes into motion, the expectation is, ‘I’ve gotta stop the sideline.’ It loosens them up inside for some softer runs, too. When you run for 250, you’re doing something right … I don’t know that there is (a more versatile player in the country) because I don’t get to see it. I don’t think I’ve seen many games this year but it’s hard for me to do comparisons. But for what he does … I don’t think people understand what an incredible blocker he is. He doesn’t get to do that, that much.”
Georgia takes on the Buckeyes of Ohio State on December 31st in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Bulldogs enter as a 6.5-point favorite in the second-ever matchup between the two historic programs. The only previous meeting came in the 1993 Citrus Bowl, a 21-14 victory for the Bulldogs behind a big day from running back Garrison Heart who was named MVP in the Georgia win over the Kirk Herbstreit-quarterbacked Buckeyes.
