As we approach the start of the college football season, we will be releasing our 2022 Preseason All-American team. In this article, we’ll name our tight end and a few honorable mentions. Check out our other selections in these links.
TE Brock Bowers – Georgia
Bowers returns to Georgia for his sophomore season after helping Georgia win the National Championship last year. Bowers, who won SEC Freshman of the Year and was on the All-SEC First Team in 2021, is coming off a season in which he scored 13 touchdowns, which led tight ends in FBS.
Bowers’ 882 receiving yards were 3rd in the country, his 586 yards after the catch were tops in the FBS, and his 215 yards after first contact were good for 2nd.
While his individual numbers jump off the page, his overall value to Georgia is even more impressive. His 46.8 EPA led all tight ends (expected points gained/lost by a team on a play). His 19.8 Total Points was 8th in the country and 1st in the SEC among tight ends.
Bowers was dominant as a receiver, but he also was effective as a blocker, with an 0.4% Blown Block%.
Honorable Mentions
TE Michael Mayer – Notre Dame
TE Sam LaPorta – Iowa
TE Kemore Gamble – UCF
Mayer is coming off a season in which he had 71 receptions for 840 yards and 7 touchdowns for the Fighting Irish. He finished Top 5 in the country in receptions, yards, and yards per game, while those 7 touchdowns put him within the Top 10 among tight ends.
Laporta’s 52 receptions and 667 receiving yards were both first among Big Ten tight ends in 2021. He averaged 47.6 yards per game which put him 2nd in the Big Ten. His 20.1 Total Points was good for 7th in the country at the position.
Gamble is transferring to UCF for his final year. He previously played for Florida where he combined to have 39 receptions for 546 yards and 7 touchdowns the previous two seasons. Gamble has been valuable as a blocker as well, with an 0.7% Blown Block%.
