From the podium, Kirby Smart set the stakes.

By now, he’s an SEC Media Days veteran who navigated the minefield of scribes since landing the Georgia coaching job in 2016. His star tight end, however, wasn’t quite as comfortable in the art of oration.

Brock Bowers has been a star on back-to-back national championship teams but the interview circuit at media days in Nashville is another beast.

“I want to issue you the greatest challenge that has ever been issued to the media group here,” Smart said with a smile. “I thank you for what you do, but your challenge today is to get more than three sentences out of Brock Bowers, which we have not been able to do in three years. If you can get him to talk, it’ll be a great challenge for you and see if you can get it done.”

The junior from Napa, California was squirming on the plane from Athens on Tuesday morning, Smart reported. Bowers can “be uncomfortable and thinking about having to talk to you guys.”

Challenge accepted.

So, does he consider himself as quiet as Smart claims?

“Yeah,” Bowers said, “I just don’t have a lot to say usually.”

Fair enough.

But, at an event like this, saying things is practically the only objective. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound football specimen couldn’t hurdle the press corps or run past the athletically-deficient questioners.

Does he even like this?

“Um, yeah,” he replied. “Part of it.”

Not a no.

We’ll continue.

What about a motivational message to prepare for the barrage of questions”

“There was no pep talk,” Bowers said. “It was basically ‘you’re going.’”

So a hostage?

Not exactly and there was improvement as the day progressed.

“I think here I’m doing much better,” Bowers said. “There was an interview earlier where they asked me one question and I stuttered out of my mind for like 10-15 seconds. So yeah, I’m feeling alright.”

Now that’s notable. Approximately 1% of the United States population stutter, according to The Stuttering Foundation website. Overcoming that to attend an event based solely on speaking publicly can be a daunting task. Listen closely and you can hear the remnants of repetition in Bowers’ speech but that didn’t stop him from making the trip to the belly of the SEC media beast.

And while he didn’t love the microscope as much as some who sit in the same hot seat, he found a degree of enjoyment in Tuesday’s routine.

Attention is only going to increase as the tight end from wine country has the potential to be an early first-round pick should he leave early for the 2024 NFL draft. Bowers caught 119 passes in his first two Georgia seasons — 20 of which went for touchdowns while averaging 15.3 yards a pop.

He’s a legit threat who had seven catches for 152 yards and a touchdown in January’s 65-7 humiliation of TCU for a second straight national title — numbers that mean more than anything said in a Nashville hotel on a Tuesday in July.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.