Advertisement
football Edit

QUAAACK: 4-star Rivals250 DE recruit Johnny Bowens commits to Oregon

When Johnny Bowens backed off his months-long commitment to Texas A&M in the summer shortly after taking a visit to Oregon, the four-star prospect was adamant that one thing didn't have anything to do with the other. Maybe the told a small fib, or maybe the Ducks did enough in the time since that summer trip to convince him that Eugene is home.

Whatever the scenario, the Rivals250 defensive end decided not to re-commit to the Aggies and instead will be headed to the Pac-12 to play for the Ducks after announcing his college choice Thursday afternoon.

Bowens ultimately narrowed his options down to Oregon, Texas A&M and Texas. He made a return trip to Oregon this fall, and that is when the momentum began to build for Dan Lanning's program.

In recent days, it became clear that Oregon would be tough to beat in his recruitment leading to his Thanksgiving announcement.

The Ducks have been active in Texas during the first full recruiting cycle under Lanning, and the program's new connections to the state Bowens calls home certainly played a role in his decision.

"I knew some coaches that was at other schools that's there so I already had a good connection with some of the coaches already," he previously told Duck Sports Authority after his visit to Eugene. "... Coach Pow (Matt Powledge), he was at Baylor at first and I used to talk to them. He's the one who recruited me too. And then Coach Tyler [Dean], he was at A&M and that's who recruited me too, and Coach Marshall [Malchow] was at A&M too. Now they're at Oregon, so I already had a good relationship with them already."

Bowens, who is currently rated as the 227th-best prospect in the 2023 class, is the latest in a string of commitments for the Ducks this fall as Oregon continues to build on its top-ranked Pac-12 recruiting class in the cycle.

The Ducks have now added four commitments this week as Bowens joins 2023 offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson, 2024 offensive lineman Fox Crader and 2024 receiver Tyseer Denmark as the latest recruits to give Lanning's team their pledges.

Oregon now has 24 commitments in the class with 12 different states represented among that group. Bowens is the fourth prospect from Texas to give Oregon his pledge in the current cycle joining four-star defensive lineman Terrance Green (Cypress-Cy Woods), four-star defensive back Tyler Turner (San Antonio-Brennan) and high three-star receiver Ashton Cozart (Flower Mound-Marcus) in that group.

Lanning's success leading the Georgia defense has been a big draw for the Ducks on the recruiting trail, and Bowens certainly has paid attention to what the Oregon coach is building in Eugene. Being able to meet with Lanning during his visits helped the pair form a strong connection throughout the process.

"He's a good coach. He checks on you all the time. Even when I was committed to A&M, he was still checking on me, calling me," Bowens said. "He wants a good relationship with all his players. He talks to everybody -- he don't treat nobody else different, if you like a five-star, he's going to talk to everybody."

Bowens' commitment to the Ducks gives the program seven defensive line recruits in the 2023 class. Three of those prospects — Bowens, Green and A'Mauri Washington — are rated as four-star recruits by Rivals.

The early signing period for all 2023 prospects is set to begin Dec. 21.

Advertisement