Bulldog football trio named Semifinalists for national awards

ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia junior tight end Brock Bowers and junior quarterback Carson Beck have been named Maxwell Award semifinalists while sophomore safety Malaki Starks was included as a Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist, according to announcements Monday.

Bowers was also a semifinalist last year for the Maxwell. The Bulldogs’ have had two Maxwell winners in program history: Charley Trippi (1946) and Herschel Walker (1982). Current Las Vegas Raider Christopher Smith was a Bednarik semifinalist in 2022 and both David Pollack (2004) and Jordan Davis (2021) have garnered the honor.

Bowers, a native of Napa Valley, Calif., leads the Bulldogs in receiving with 44 catches for 601 yards and five touchdowns in only eight games played this season. He also has six carries for 28 yards and a score during Georgia’s 10-0 start.

Beck, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., has completed 231 of 320 passes for 3,022 yards and 18 touchdowns during his first season starting for the Bulldogs. He is on a school record pace for completion percentage and his 72.2 mark is ranked sixth nationally.

Starks, a Jefferson, Ga., has 33 tackles and two interceptions during his second year starting for Georgia. He has helped the Bulldog defense rank sixth nationally giving up only 15.6 points per game.

The No. 2 (CFP) Bulldogs (10-0, 7-0 SEC) travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to face No. 13 Tennessee (7-3, 3-3) on Saturday. CBS will televise the matchup at 3:30 p.m. ET. SEC Nation will also make the trip to Tennessee’s campus.