5-Star Recruit Mark Bowman To Commit To USC Trojans Over Texas, Georgia?

The USC Trojans hosted several recruits following Trojan Olympics weekend. USC is building an elite class of 2026 while getting started with the class of 2027. One player that visited the Trojans was five-star tight end Mark Bowman.

Bowman is from the class of 2026 and a local recruit playing high school football for Mater Dei. Bowman is the No. 22 recruit in the nation, the No. 2 tight end, and the No. 4 player from California, per On3.

The Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas Longhorns have been heavily recruiting Bowman, but the visit over the weekend can help push USC up higher on his list. Bowman has visited the Trojans a couple of times through his recruiting process but has an official visit lined up for June 17. He also has official visits scheduled for Alabama, Texas, and Oregon.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian leads warm ups prior to the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bowman visited the Trojans in March, which helped keep USC in the race. After the visit, Bowman talked to On3 about why USC is still an option for him. He highlighted his communication with USC coach Lincoln Riley and why tight ends coach Chad Savage is a crucial part of his recruitment.

“They’ve shown me a lot more love. Coach Savage put a bunch more effort into recruiting. When he came in, he said he’s making it his priority for at one person on the staff to get in contact with me once a day. So it’s been pretty hard every day,” Bowman told On3. “I also FaceTime with coach Riley at least once a week.”

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Following the 2024 season USC named Savage the tight ends coach and inside receivers coach. Since his hiring, the Trojans have been excelling with recruiting, especially showing an improvement with in-state recruiting. Of the class of 2026 commitments, 64 percent are from California.

“Chad’s a cool guy. Loved hanging out with him, spending time with him. Always get to, I mean we, I’ve lonely got to meet him in person once, but from, from when I met him, he showed a lot of love and we, we spent some good time together,” Bowman continued with On3.

Bowman discussed Savage’s pitch to him that USC would just him similar to how tight end Mark Andrews was used when he was at Oklahoma. Andrews has gone on to be a top NFL tight end with the Baltimore Ravens. If Bowman does commit to USC, watch for him to be used heavily as a pass catcher.

Nov 11, 2023; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Colorado State Rams assistant coach - wide receivers Chad Savage talks to his team during the second quarter against the San Diego State Aztecs at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images | Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

Bowman is nearing a final decision but does not have a commitment date set. The next step is for the five-star tight end to go through his official visits. Texas and Georgia are leading the race, but with more solid visits and strong conversations with USC, the Trojans could sway Bowman to stay in California.

The USC Trojans hold the No. 2 ranked class of 2026 in the nation and the No. 1 ranked class in the Big Ten, per On3. The Trojans have received 23 commitments, two of which are five-star recruits, ten being four-star players.

USC hosted many top recruits over the weekend, including four-star cornerback Elbert Hill and four-star athlete Jalen Lott. The Trojans are hoping the weekend will help secure more of the top recruits.

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