By: Darby Childress

Clemson football has a long-running history of “stealing” recruits from their hometown universities. Many of which came from Florida, such as Sammy Watkins, and Tony Stewart. That story did not change with the recruitment of 5 star running back Demarkcus Bowman from Lakeland, Florida. The freshman from Lakeland High School ran for 5,081 yards, averaging 11.4 yards per carry and scored 71 touchdowns in the first 3 years of his high school career. In his senior season, he averaged 147 yards per game, scoring 24 touchdowns, assisting his team in achieving a 12-1 record in the 2019 season.

He has been described as “explosive”, and “tough to handle in space”. Head coach Dabo Swinney compares him to former Clemson star CJ Spiller, another 5 star recruit out of the sunshine state. Demarkcus had offers from the University of Florida, University of Alabama, University of North Carolina, among others. On May 3, 2019, Bowman committed to Clemson University over his home state university. This came as a shock to most, especially considering his former high school being a well-known pipeline of athletes to the University of Florida.

Bowman committed to Clemson eight months before officially visiting the university on January 18, 2020. This incoming freshman ran a 10.82 in the 100-yard dash and showcased a 36-inch vertical in The Opening held in Orlando, Florida before his senior year. He was ranked the 19th overall player by ESPN and the second overall player in Florida by rivals.com. He was also named Florida’s “Mr. Football” for the 2019 season. Outside of football, Bowman also ran track for Lakeland High School, in which he won first place in the 100-yard dash at the FHSAA 4A Region 2 event and second place in the 100-yard dash at the State Track and Field Championships. This new addition to the Tigers offense will bring increased depth to the team’s roster. Alongside the likes of Travis Etienne, it seems as though he will fit in very well with the immensely talented running back class present at Clemson University. Brought to you by: