Lakeland (Fla.) five-star running back Demarkcus Bowman attended Clemson’s elite junior day last Saturday and left campus with something he had coveted – an offer from the Tigers.
“It really means a lot,” Bowman told The Clemson Insider. “I always wanted it, and I feel like my dreams turned into reality. That’s the best part about it. I’ve just got to stay focused and keep working.”
Bowman is the No. 5 running back and No. 33 overall prospect in the class of 2020 according to the 247Sports Composite.
Saturday’s visit marked his third to Clemson. He attended the Florida State game at Death Valley in 2017 before returning to campus with a group of teammates last spring.
“It was fun,” Bowman said of the elite junior day. “I really like Clemson a lot. I enjoyed just (trying on) the uniforms and then really learning the history about Clemson, like Riggs Field and the Bowman Field, how they used to play games on the Bowman field. It was kind of cool because Bowman’s my last name. So, it was really cool learning about the history of Clemson.”
Bowman spent most of the day with Tony Elliott and said his relationship with Clemson’s running backs coach is “very tight.”
He was accompanied on the visit by his parents, both of whom enjoyed checking out Clemson and Dabo Swinney’s program for the first time.
“They love Clemson a lot, but they want to see other places, too,” said Bowman, who plans to be at Florida this weekend.
Clemson joined Florida, Florida State, Miami, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and Ohio State, among others, on Bowman’s offer list.
Bowman gave a loose timetable for his decision, saying he would like to commit either before the start of his senior year or after his senior football season.
He claims no favorites in his recruitment right now but admitted the Tigers are up there on his list following Saturday’s visit.
“If I had a top six, they would be in my top six,” he said.
The continuity of Clemson’s coaching staff under Swinney is a big reason Bowman is high on the Tigers.
“The staff, they stay together,” he said. “Other schools, it’s a whole bunch of different staffs and different coordinators and different head coaches and stuff. But I really truly believe that Clemson’s staff and Dabo Swinney are going to be there all the way through.”
As a junior in 2018, Bowman rushed for 2,417 yards and 36 touchdowns while averaging 11.8 yards per carry.
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