Brock Bowers has become a building storyline since midway through the week when coach Kirby Smart did not rule out the star tight end. Bowers has been out since an ankle injury at Vanderbilt, and surgery performed more than 3 weeks ago.

Now Bowers turned heads in pregame warmups against Ole Miss.

Bowers was seen jogging and catching balls near the goal line, according to several reporters inside Sanford Stadium.

Smart said Wednesday that when evaluating an ankle injury, there are certain markers that a player needs to hit when it comes to speed. While Bowers has regained some of his speed, but it’s more complex than that. Smart also has to evaluate things like acceleration and deceleration.

Some have questioned whether Bowers would protect himself as he’s expected to be a high NFL draft pick in the spring.

“I’ve never seen a person work as hard as he’s worked to try to create an opportunity for himself,” Smart said.