Tigers now stand alone as the leader for 5-star RB: "They are just different."

Bowman poses with head coach Dabo Swinney

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mar 27, 2019, 11:01 AM

Clemson stands as the leader for many of the nation’s top players in the 2020 recruiting cycle, and you can add 5-star running back Demarkcus Bowman to that list.

Bowman is a 2020 playmaker out of Lakeland (FL) that stands as the top-ranked player out of the state of Florida and the No. 3 running back nationally by Rivals and the No. 2 nationally by 247. Bowman made his way to South Carolina Sunday evening and spent two nights on the Clemson campus, leaving Tuesday to head back home.

What prompted the trip?

“I just wanted to get back up there and spend time with the coaches and talk to them a little more,” Bowman told TigerNet. “I’ve been up there a few times, and I wanted to talk to the players and see what they had to say and hang out with the coaches and see the campus. They really showed me what it’s like to be a student there.”

Bowman attended the running backs meeting before Monday’s practice, and then made his way to the practice field.

“Coach (Tony) Elliott was showing me how he would use me in their offense,” he said. “Then I went to practice, and it’s crazy how fast-paced everything is. Everybody is fast at that level. I watched the running backs, and Travis Etienne stood out.”

Following practice, Etienne spent time with Bowman.

“We just hung out, and he told me about why he came to Clemson,” Bowman said. “He’s really a great guy, and he’s funny. Sometimes I don’t think he’s trying to be funny and he is. He was telling me what it’s like to be a player there, and what life is like. He loves it. He’s a great guy.”

Bowman said he spent time with head coach Dabo Swinney, but it’s his relationship with Elliott that is beginning to stand out.

“You can tell he really cares for his players,” Bowman said. “We talked about more than just football. We talked about life. He always is teaching and has a lesson for you.”

Bowman said he hopes to be back for Clemson’s spring game on April 6th. Besides Clemson, Bowman owns offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and Ohio State, among others, and he named Florida as a leader heading into the spring.

That has now changed.

“Clemson stands at the top for me,” he said. “They just do everything different up there. Everything is organized, and they do everything the right way. They are definitely my top school.”

Bowman said he doesn’t have any other visits scheduled but doesn’t plan on making a decision this spring.