Demarkcus Bowman similar to another former ACC back
★★★★★ Demarkcus Bowman 5-10, 190 pounds, Lakeland, Lakeland, Fla.
Head Coach: Bill Castle
Overview: Will play in the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 2, 2020 … one of the top running backs in the nation and a unanimous five-star prospect who rushed for 5,081 yards in three years at Lakeland High School in Florida … averaged an incredible 11.4 yards per rush and scored 71 touchdowns during his career … posted 26 games with at least 100 yards in his career … averaged 145 yards rushing in his 35 career games … led Lakeland to a 15-0 record and 7A State Championship as a junior in 2018, matching Clemson’s 15-0 championship season that year as well … comes to Clemson from the same high school as Pitt running back A.J. Davis, the Panthers’ leading rusher in 2019 … named a 2019 preseason first-team All-American by USA Today and first-team postseason All-American by Sports Illustrated.
Rankings: Ranked as the No. 16 overall player in the nation by PrepStar, which also listed him as the second-best running back in the nation and the top player in Florida … listed as the No. 19 overall player in the nation by ESPN.com, which also called him the No. 2 running back and the top player in the state of Florida … 247Sports called him the No. 21 overall player in the nation, the second-best running back and the third-best player in Florida … Rivals.com ranked him the 24th-best player in the nation, the third-best running back and the second-best player from Florida.
In High School: Played for Bill Castle at Lakeland High School in Lakeland, Fla. … competed at The Opening in Orlando prior to his senior year and recorded a 100-yard time of 10.82 and 36-inch vertical jump … in 11 games in 2019, recorded 1,570 rushing yards on 142 carries, an 11.1-yard average … averaged 142.7 yards a game, including nine games of at least 100 yards, while scoring 24 touchdowns and helping his team to a 12-1 record … had 16 carries for 122 yards against George Jenkins High and 21 attempts for 195 yards and four touchdowns against Tampa Bay Tech … posted 2,422 rushing yards in 15 games and scored 36 touchdowns in 2018 as a junior, earning 7A Player of the Year and first-team all-state honors for Florida …was a first-team Max Preps Junior All-American … Polk County Player of the Year … 2018 Gatorade Mr. Football runner-up … recorded at least 100 yards in 13 of his 15 games, including four games with at least 200 yards … averaged 11.8 yards per carry and averaged 161.5 yards per game … .led team to state title with a 15-0 record … had 14 carries for 225 yards and five scores against George Jenkins … had career-high 260 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns against Plant High, a team that included new Clemson teammate Will Putnam … recorded 22 carries for 211 rushing yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run, in 33-20 state championship victory against St. Thomas Aquinas … as a sophomore in 2017, finished with 1,096 yards on 113 carries, a 9.7-yard average, and 10 touchdowns … had four games of at least 100 yards, including six carries for 155 and four touchdowns in his first game … had at least one 80-yard run in each season.
Personal: Committed to Clemson on May 3, 2019 … recruited to Clemson by Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott … wore No. 3 in high school … expected to enroll at Clemson in January 2020.
Lowell Likes:
You like speed? Then you’ll love this kid. He has insane burst and incredible top end speed. You’ll rarely see a clip of someone within 10 yards of him if you watch any highlight film. He combines that with a north-south style that allows him to take full advantage of that speed, rather than dancing around east-west. His style reminds me a lot of Dalvin Cook.
Bowman chose Clemson over Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida and other offers.