Take Two: Who will land five-star RB Demarkcus Bowman?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.
MORE TAKE TWO: Will lack of in-state five-stars sting Alabama in 2020? | Can Buckeyes lock down Ohio?
THE STORYLINE
Demarkcus Bowman is not the highest-rated running back ever out of Florida,. but he is the first No. 1 overall running back in the state since Trent Richardson, so his recruitment is going to be closely watched in the coming months.
Especially since such power programs are involved.
The Lakeland, Fla., standout rushed for 2,422 yards and 36 touchdowns on 205 carries in his junior season. He has Florida, Clemson and Georgia as the frontrunners and the top two of the Gators and Tigers could be flipped depending on who's talking.
Florida landed three of his Lakeland teammates last recruiting cycle and that could help the Gators. But the five-star running back has always had serious interest in Clemson as well, so that offer could be big moving forward.
Ranked behind only Zachary Evans and Kendall Milton nationally at the running back spot, Bowman is an outstanding prospect who currently holds the edge over five-star CB Fred Davis, four-star athlete Avantae Williams and four-star receiver Leonard Manuel in the state rankings.
Can coach Dan Mullen and the Gators keep loading up with Lakeland prospects or is Clemson too much of a national power to turn down for Bowman as he works through his recruitment?
RELATED: Class of 2020 RB rankings | State of Florida rankings
FIRST TAKE: COREY BENDER, GATORSTERRITORY.COM
“He had Florida as the leader initially but he kind of went back on that in the last two or three weeks. Clemson is a school he really wanted and that offer is going to be pretty big. Clemson has a policy where if you commit you can’t take other visits. I don’t think Bowman’s ready to shut it down completely.
“Georgia and Florida have been the most consistent over the long haul but that Clemson offer is definitely a big one. He told me a few weeks ago it was Clemson, Florida, Georgia, but it’s more Florida, Clemson right now. If he picked today, it would be Florida, but once Clemson gets him on campus again, it’s something to keep an eye on. If it was an emotional decision right now, Florida would get the nod but the longer this plays out, it could favor Clemson.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“I think Florida is the leader. He’s a good fit in that offense. He could do a lot of different things, which is why everybody likes him. It speaks to his versatility as a running back. He can not only run between the tackles, bounce it outside, make people miss, has good feet and good vision, but he’s also a pretty good pass-catcher which we saw at the Future 50. He can do it all and he’s a special kid.
"He’s the most important recruit for Florida in this cycle. If I’m Florida, I’m worried about Clemson just because of its recruiting power. If Clemson makes the kid a priority, it’s sometimes tough to say no.”