Newcomer Profile: Georgia LB Troy Bowles
Most of the 2023 Georgia recruiting class enrolled in January — almost 70 percent of it, actually. The Bulldogs welcomed 18 players to campus and 17 of them got a taste of spring practice. Sixteen of them finished spring drills and got the full spring semester experience in the Classic City.
The other eight are arriving this summer with most of them having already enrolled. They’re going to get right into the flow of things with summer workouts and classes, but it’s going to take some time for them to catch up.
With that in mind, DawgsHQ is taking one last look at them before they fully settle in under the Bulldogs’ roof. Next up is an athletic linebacker with a big-time pedigree.
LB Troy Bowles
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 88 overall, No. 7 linebacker, No. 21 in Florida
On3 Scouting: “Box linebacker that has the ability to key and diagnose as good as anyone in the country. Son of NFL coach Todd Bowles. Jumped a 5’06” high jump in 2022 and ran 11.73 in the 100m in 2021. Striker that sees the field extremely well and triggers to the ball quickly. Instinctive player that will lay the wood consistently. Plays faster than a watch will have him in the 40 or on the track. More of a box player that can thump and be disruptive in the run game. Lacks size and stature for the position, measuring around 6-feet, 205 pounds going into his senior season. Has some hip stiffness and will need to prove his overall ability to play sideline to sideline at the next level. With his physicality and field awareness he has a high floor and will always be around the football.”
The Story…
As you may know, Bowles father, Todd, is the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So when film from his sophomore and junior seasons made the rounds, teams came calling. Georgia had to battle some heavy hitters to get Bowles in the fold. Rutgers got a few visits from him. Ohio State did as well and Oklahoma went hard after the four-star linebacker.
Clemson, Alabama, Florida, and Auburn also got him on campus but, in the end, Glenn Schumann did the best job of building the relationship. Bowles took multiple trips to Georgia and committed to the Bulldogs a little over a month after his official visit — in July of 2022.
Where Bowles fits…
He’s the prototypical modern linebacker. Bowles plays really fast and he can cover. We view him as similar to Nakobe Dean except for bigger. He’s not freakishly fast but he plays that way. Instincts and football IQ are massive strengths to his game.
But he’s also an explosive player who can blow right past blocks. Bowles can also pack a punch when he gets to the football. He gets ball carriers on the ground in space and those guys don’t drop on trees.
Preseason camp expectations…
He’s going to have a really tough time making noise or getting on the field at inside linebacker. The Bulldogs are incredibly deep at that position with guys who have experience and those who made their way to campus this spring.
Still, we fully expect Bowles to make an impact in 2023 on special teams. He’s the kind of guy Smart and company love to utilize when it comes to covering kicks and punts. He’ll probably be on a return team or two as well.
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