The Texas Tech football team picked up a verbal commitment on Wednesday from 2018 quarterback Alan Bowman helping the current recruiting class take a big step forward.
Last week, we discussed the unusual situation surrounding Kliff Kingsbury’s inability to land a quarterback for his 2018 recruiting class. On Wednesday, that search came to a close as Grapevine, TX quarterback Alan Bowman verbally pledged to Texas Tech.
Bowman is a three-star pro-style passer. The two-year starter completed 67% of his passes for 3,240 yards and 42 touchdowns as a junior. He has offers from Cincinnati, Houston, and San Diego while Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri, Northwestern and Vanderbilt have shown interest according to 247Sports.com .
He is currently listed as the No. 27 pro-style passer in the country and the No. 106 overall prospect in Texas as listed by 247Sports. In addition, the “Dallas Morning News” ranked Bowman as the second-best returning passer in Texas 5A football for the upcoming season.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound prospect is an intriguing player. He is already large enough to fit the mold of a college quarterback and he may not be finished growing. Physically, his combination of height and build are reminiscent of former Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts.
Bowman’s highlight video displays some of his excellent fundamentals. He plays with a wide base which keeps him on balance and helps his accuracy.
It is also great to watch Bowman hold the ball high and secure as he drops back to pass. Plus, Texas Tech coaches must love his quick release. He throws the ball easily with a flick of the wrist that sometimes reminds one of Patrick Mahomes.
Bowman is a decisive passer that is comfortable allowing plays to develop. He also does a great job of fitting the ball into some very tight spaces.
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On the other hand, the large-framed passer is vastly different than any quarterback Kingsbury has recruited. He does not have the speed or agility to be the type of dual-threat passer that Pat Mahomes, Jett Duffey and Xavier Martin are.
This is not necessarily a negative. Some of the most effective quarterbacks in the “Air Raid” offense (Kingsbury, Graham Harrell, B.J. Symons) have been pocket passers.
Bowman can successfully make all the throws Kingsbury’s offense will require. That is the most important factor. Should he one day take over the Red Raider offense, the coaching staff will be required to make some adjustments such as replacing the zone-read runs and limiting the number of bootleg passes that are called.
Bowman’s commitment is a huge step forward for the 2018 recruiting class. Now that the quarterback is in place, the class might begin to take shape more rapidly.
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Often, quarterbacks are the marquee players in a class and they frequently reach out to other recruits that they know across the state from summer camps and other activities. Whether or not Bowman assumes this role is yet to be seen.
But regardless, landing a quarterback is a huge step for Kingsbury and it assuages some of the fears and frustrations of a fan base that has little patience for the current staff. Here’s hoping Bowman’s commitment is a sign that Kingsbury is about to get hot on the recruiting trail.