Every Friday during the football season, we take a look back at some players who are performing well in either college football or the NFL despite the fact that they were unrated as high school prospects. Here’s our rundown from this past weekend, featuring three defensive players that came up big in their teams victories.
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As a recruit: Bowman moved from Bellevue, Wash. to attend IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season in hopes of jumpstarting his recruitment, but even the exposure there didn’t really help his cause. He received an offer from FCS program Montana, but elected to go back home to Washington and walk on with Huskies, where his older brother Shane is also on the team.
What he did this week: After redshirting in 2016, Bowman has quickly worked his way into the lineup for one of the nation’s highest-ranked teams. In Saturday’s victory over Washington, Bowman had four tackles, including 1.5 sacks and has made himself a regular contributor for the Huskies defense this year. Chris Petersen and his staff did a great job of finding diamonds in the rough at Boise State and appear to still be able to surprise with players like Bowman.
As a recruit: Willekes had a terrific high school career in Michigan, but even that couldn’t earn him a scholarship offer from an FBS program. Late in the process, Michigan State welcomed him in for an official visit, but instead of a scholarship offer, extended the opportunity to walk on to the team. Willekes jumped on the chance and joined the Spartans for the 2015 season.
What he did this week: After playing in just one game prior to this season, Willekes has established himself as one of the top tacklers on the Spartans defense. In Saturday’s victory over rival Michigan, he had nine total tackles, including two quarterback sacks. On the season, he has 26 total tackles and leads the team in tackles for loss with six. Michigan State gave him an opportunity and plenty of Big Ten schools have to be kicking themselves for missing on Willekes.
As a recruit: Parker made the rounds on the camp circuit but never received much interest from Division I programs, electing instead to sign with Division III program Texas Lutheran. After playing in 10 games as a true freshman and earning all-conference honors, Parker elected to move up and transferred to Texas Tech, where he enrolled in 2016.
What he did this weekend: After sitting out the 2016 season due to transfer rules Parker has slowly worked his way into playing time for the Red Raiders in 2017. In Saturday’s win over Kansas, he had a forced fumble that he recovered and returned for a touchdown while also recording one interception. Parker has defied all odds to make it onto the field in Lubbock and he looks like he will be a mainstay on the team’s defense.
