Breakout Player for 2025: Running back Chauncey Bowens
We continue our Bulldog breakout series by looking at running back Chauncey Bowens.
We didn’t see much of Bowens as a true freshman after only playing in four games to preserve his redshirt. Still, we like what we saw.
Bowens rushed for 62 yards on 16 carries, and while that may not sound like much, it’s what he did in practice that opened Kirby Smart’s eyes.
At 5-foot-11 and 225 pounds, Bowens is a power runner with better speed than you might think.
Although Nate Frazier is the unquestioned starter, look for Bowens to make his mark. Even with Georgia adding Illinois transfer Josh McCray, Bowens will have ample opportunity to be a regular part of the rotation.
We believe he will excel.
Chauncey Bowens
Position: Running Back
Class: Redshirt Freshman
Height: 5-11
Weight: 225
What you need to know
Kirby Smart complemented Bowens several times during the season, which at least should indicate that Georgia’s head coach is pleased with the work ethic of his player.
Although Bowens has better speed than you might take him for, at 225 pounds, he’s shown the knack for picking up tough inside yardage. That’s an area where the Bulldogs’ offense could use a boost after finishing next-to-last in the league in average rushing yards per game last fall.
Smart money (no pun intended) appears to indicate that the Bulldogs will be much better in that department, but Georgia still needs players like Bowens to step up to make that happen.
Providing he stays healthy, Bowens can be an essential part of the offense this fall.
What to expect
Frazier will be the bell cow and should be a threat to rush for 1,000 yards.
But the Bulldogs will need more from their backfield than that.
After Branson Robinson left the program (ultimately rejoining Del McGee at Georgia State), Smart went out and got McCray, a former starter for Illinois who led the Illini in rushing with 609 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Don’t forget about Roderick Robinson, but the redshirt sophomore needs to stay healthy to become the factor that coaches still believe he can be.
But even if Robinson is healthy, Bowens will have ample opportunity to challenge for meaningful reps and post solid numbers in the Bulldog backfield, which also features Dwight Phillips Jr., Bo Walker, and Cash Jones.
