Take Two: Will Clemson land five-star RB Demarkcus Bowman?

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

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.

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Demarkcus Bowman took another visit to Clemson recently and it was another important step for the five-star running back as he familiarizes himself even more with the program.

The most important takeaway: Bowman left Clemson naming it his leader – and that could have huge recruiting ramifications along the way.

Florida was believed to have the inside edge for the Lakeland, Fla., standout who had multiple teammates sign with the Gators last recruiting cycle. Landing OL Deyavie Hammond, tight end Keon Zipperer and DE Lloyd Summerall was huge for the Gators. But getting Bowman is the biggest prize of them all.

Rated as the third-best running back in the 2020 class and No. 16 overall, Bowman is a special prospect, one that Florida needs to keep home if the Gators hope to become a force in the SEC East again.

Georgia is also in the thick of things but Clemson now has the edge. Will the Tigers be able to go into Lakeland and get the five-star running back?

“While Bowman identified Clemson as his new leader following the last visit, we’re also leery of the overreaction such comments typically yield. They frequently take a life of their own, and fans as well as the industry prematurely project a destination as a foregone conclusion when the process is often not that far down the road.

“Florida’s pipeline with Lakeland is well-documented and not to be discounted, particularly considering proximity and how long we have until the December signing period. But Clemson seizing momentum is certainly notable as well as significant; the Tigers have shown to be a real threat with Lakeland prospects two other times in recent years, only to go separate ways for varying reasons.

“If anyone has the cachet and relationships to pluck Bowman from the Gators, it’s Clemson. His visit to this weekend’s spring game with his parents is a substantial opportunity for the Tigers to advance their standing heading toward what could be a summer decision.”

“It doesn’t surprise me that he flipped his leaders. Clemson was coming on pretty hard for him and you knew when he got to that visit he would have that excitement. I think Florida is still very much in it. At this stage, Florida needs him more than Clemson does. It would be big for both programs but Florida’s recruiting momentum is rising while Clemson is at the apex. They’re recruiting five- and four-stars everywhere you look.

“I don’t think it’s over. Another team could jump in there but it looks like a two-team battle and this could end up being like C.J. Spiller where Clemson goes in and gets a five-star that was expected to go to Florida.”