The Florida Gators football program scored big in the transfer portal last October when Clemson’s 5-star running back recruit, Demarkcus Bowman, signed on with Dan Mullen’s team. One of Bowman’s primary reasons for making the move was to be closer to his home in Lakeland, Florida, and it also helped that UF finished second in the race for his services during the recruitment period.
Now, things are finally set in stone as the 5-foot-10-inch, 190-pound backfield bowling ball is officially enrolled at the University of Florida and will begin attending classes starting on Monday.
He provided this take on his matriculation in Gainesville for Swamp247 recently.
“Florida has been close to home and I have always been a Florida fan and they have always been a major factor growing up. We had a pipeline from Lakeland high school long before I was there. I just felt it was closer to home and have former high school teammates I played with and it’s always been a Dream School. I wanted to go to Clemson just for my grandad to see me play and he wasn’t able to.”
Here is what 247Sports evaluator John Garcia, Jr., had to say in his overview of Bowman during his high school years.
Short, compact and muscular build with head-turning acceleration and top-end speed. Well proportioned. True home run threat with no nonsense, vertical game. Runs with a north-south and decisive style that can fit into spread or more conventional systems. Very productive at top-flight program with best games coming in biggest moments, including 2018 state title game against St. Thomas Aquinas in which he ran for 222 yards. Verified sub 4.5 speed with lower-body explosion to finish runs behind his pads. Gets to top speed in a hurry to eliminate angles. Elite balance. Effective jump cut. Can decelerate and re-route to counter overpursuit. Tools to work as effective blocker or play off ball. Limited lateral ability with room to improve as pass-catcher out of the backfield. Should see near immediate playing time at blue-blood type program and serve as potential three-and-done NFL Draft candidate.
Bowman recorded nine carries for 32 yards in two appearances for Clemson in 2020. During his high school career, he tallied 5172 total yards for an 11.2 average with 70 touchdowns on the ground; he also grabbed 10 passes along with a solitary score.
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