Brandon Bowling: Path To The NFL Draft
By Callum Squires
Brandon Bowling’s energy, and his aura of positivity, is infectious. In just a short 30 minute chat he became one of my favourite football players, not because of his talents on the field (which are numerous), but his passion for the game and the excitement with which he details the steps that brought him to the cusp of being drafted into the NFL. Standing at 5’9”, and weighing 185lbs, Bowling isn’t the biggest prospect in terms of measurables or hype, but if his performances at Utah State this past year are anything to go by, he could be a diamond in the rough. Many receivers of similar build and ilk have found long-term success in the NFL, and Bowling hopes to be the next to do so.
Early Years & Recruitment
Born in Georgia, where he also resides – for now – awaiting his fate in the coming weeks, Brandon Bowling is a huge Atlanta Braves fan, and grew up playing baseball alongside football. After stating his fandom for the Braves began when he “was little,” it was easy to see that the loss of All-Star First Baseman Freddie Freeman to the Los Angeles Dodgers this off-season is still a bit of a sore spot. “I don’t think he really wanted to stay in Atlanta, he obviously wanted the money – and I get it,” as he grimaces and covers his face briefly for the only time in our interview.
That said, for Bowling, the decision to focus on football was taken right before high school, when he put down his baseball bat, especially as he found himself in arguably the biggest hot bed for football talent in America. Moving to McKinney, Texas (a suburb of Dallas) and playing for Boyd High School allowed Bowling to develop into a college prospect. Bowling was recognised as 1st Team All-District in both his junior and senior seasons, as well as being named the 2015 All-Collin County Utility Player of the Year; a Jack of all trades indeed, with credit as a return specialist on his High School Resume.
But Bowling was clearly destined to be a contributor at the next level, with The Dallas Morning News including him in their local list of “2016’s Top 100 College Recruits”. In a funny twist of fate, it was actually Bowling’s father Kory who had initially discovered Arkansas State as a good potential option for his son:
“Yeah, he somehow came across Arkansas State; It was when Coach Anderson had just got hired from North Carolina. He looked at the website and said ‘this would be a great school!’ So we sent all the film and – obviously – we got nothing back, as a smaller recruit, and then probably six months later I got a direct message from the receivers coach at the time. He said they really liked my film and I was on their radar.”
Bowling initially brushed it off as “typical talk,” not expecting much to come of it, but then, a few weeks later received a phone call that changed his life. “I get a call from the receivers coach and he says ‘we wanna offer you a scholarship; we think you’ll fit in great here.’” Bowling spent a few months weighing up his options, before deciding to commit to Arkansas State: “My two offers were Arkansas State and Texas State. App State was a team that recruited me really late, and SMU wanted me as a preferred walk-on, but you can’t really pass up a full scholarship opportunity, so I was committed to Arkansas State for a really long time.”
Arkansas State & The Transfer Portal
Bowling was nothing but effusive in his praise for the first of his two colleges:
“Jonesboro’s a very small town, it’s a good football town. The fans are really passionate about football there, and I thought it was a great opportunity there.”
And indeed it was. After redshirting his initial season, and being down the depth chart his second year, Bowling started to get his chance to make plays – but sadly his redshirt sophomore year was cut short by a season-ending injury after just 6 games. That could derail some prospects, but Bowling bounced back with a flourish, showing marked improvements in both 2019, and then 2020, where he earned “All-Sun Belt Honourable Mention” for his 39 catch, 507 yard, 7 touchdown season. Throughout his time in Jonesboro, Bowling’s production increased at the same rate as his opportunities on the field, steadily rising from an afterthought to a key cog in the Red Wolves’ offense.
However, following the Fall 2020 season, Head Coach Blake Anderson was reported to be moving on from Arkansas State. The news broke quickly and surprisingly:
“It was a crazy day. Our season had already ended, it was the covid year, and I remember I woke up that morning, and I saw a tweet that he was leaving for Utah State. So me and a buddy of mine went up to the facility just to see what was going on. Some of the coaches knew, some of them didn’t. We had the meeting where he said he was leaving and a couple weeks later I decided I was going to leave and (Utah State receivers coach) Coach Cefalo reached out and said ‘we want you.’
The transfer portal may be a relatively new creation in College Football’s historical terms, but for Bowling – and many others across the nation (and this year’s draft board) – it represented the chance to elevate draft stock and a chance at playing the game professionally.
“When I went into the transfer portal, Utah State were really the only ones to reach out. Sure, I might have been looking for other options but, once I knew they wanted me, Utah State was where I wanted to go.”
This – without a doubt – was in large part due to the bond between Bowling and Anderson: “Coach Anderson preaches family, faith, and football… he’s such a good guy, such a great coach. I’ve been with the guy, I’ve known him since I was 16/17… 8 years knowing a college football coach is kind of crazy. I’d been with him for 5 years at the time, and the fact that he wanted me to come out there, and he’s close with my family, he’s such a family man, a man of Christ… so we’re very thankful for what he’s done for my family.”
Utah State
Gonna remember this one forever ❤️ pic.twitter.com/d3QPoWKojt
— brandon bowling (@bowling_brandon) December 6, 2021
Having experienced living in Georgia, Texas, and Arkansas, a new adventure, and a new way of life awaited Bowling in Logan, Utah.
“I’d never really been past the west side of Texas, it’ll be something new; I wanted to do something different. It was a really cool experience living in Utah for a year.” But, that’s not to say it wasn’t without a few adjustments having to be made, as the culture in Utah was fairly far removed from what Bowling had experienced so far:
“There’s a lot of Mormons in Utah. I remember my first Sunday out there… I went out to get something to eat but (the locals) they’re in church all day! I’m looking around like ‘where is everybody?! This is kinda crazy!'”
But you wouldn’t have known Bowling had any issues adjusting to his new home if you were just watching him on the field.
Bowling had a career year after joining the Aggies, setting personal bests in receptions (56), yards (835) and Touchdowns (10). Bowling’s most eye-catching individual single game performance was without doubt the Mountain West Championship game, where he had 8 catches, 154 yards and 2 touchdowns. Making headlines on the biggest stage is not something you can expect, but is certainly something Bowling relished:
“The goal was always to win the conference title,” notes Bowling. “Going into that week, we knew San Diego State had a really good defensive line, so my impression was we’d be in a lot of two Tight End sets… I didn’t really know how much I was gonna play!”
Thankfully for both Bowling and the Aggies, Coach Anderson’s game plan was not what Bowling was expecting. The Aggies closed out the season with the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, defeating Oregon State 24-13; Bowling caught 4 passes for 51 yards, and the eventual game-sealing touchdown. It was a storybook season that lit up the path to the NFL Draft for the Georgia native.
NFL Hopes & Comparisons
So how will Bowling fair at the next level? His skillset mirrors many successful receivers we’ve seen in the NFL previously:
“Throughout my college career me and my receivers coach used to watch film on Julian Edelman all the time, and that’s probably the number one guy I emulate my game after. I probably prefer the slot, but playing outside isn’t an issue for me. I see myself as a tough, reliable guy.”
The Edelman comparisons are perhaps a bit obvious, but you’d be lying if you said there weren’t clear similarities between the two. The ‘scrappy, white, small-school slot-receiver’ stereotype is one that is becoming a bit played out, but the success stories of the Edelman’s, the Wes Welker’s, the Cole Beasley’s of this world show the route to league longevity that Bowling himself may well aspire to follow. I even put the visual comparison between himself and Edelman to Bowling: “Yeah,” he chuckled, “I’ve gotten that a little bit, a couple of times.” Bowling’s sense of humour shows he’s someone who can make, and more importantly, take a joke with ease.
Headed to the Draft
Managing the difficulties of being a student-athlete throughout the Covid-19 pandemic could be a drag for some, but again Bowling’s mindset was one of silver linings:
“If I didn’t have that last COVID year, my senior season would have been a 4-7 season and no bowl game, so I’m really grateful to the NCAA that they gave out those extra years of eligibility. The stars aligned, I ended up at Utah State, you win a conference championship, you win a bowl game, possibly the best team in Utah State history… it’s just a special year to go out on.”
And so, Brandon Bowling looks ahead to the NFL draft, hoping to fulfil his dream of being an NFL draftee:
“I just gotta have confidence that somebody’s gonna take a chance on me. I’m excited to have the chance to play for a team in the NFL – it’s been a life-long dream of mine.”
Due to the connections in his life, I’m sure Bowling would be ecstatic if either the Falcons or Cowboys were to call (and both of those squads could use a bit of receiving help I’d say), but I’ll be elated wherever Bowling ends up. He’s a great story, and talented enough to succeed in some way or form in the NFL. I’ve got my fingers crossed for him. And I can’t believe I’ve managed to make it through this whole article without one “bowling” related pun. Strike for me.
CALLUM SQUIRES
NFL ANALYST
CALLUM IS FROM LONDON, BUT PLAYED COLLEGE SOCCER AT TRINITY UNIVERSITY IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, WHERE HE LEARNED NEVER TO CHEER FOR THE COWBOYS. OW RESIDING STATESIDE, CALLUM IS A LONG-SUFFERING DOLPHINS FAN WHO BELIEVES THE TUA HYPE. FIND HIM ON TWITTER @CALLUMJDSQUIRES
A huge thank you to Brandon for taking the time to talk to us. Everyone at The Touchown wishes him well in his future career.