USC Trojans To Land Another 5-Star Recruit? Mater Dei Tight End Mark Bowman Visits

The USC Trojans hosted Mater Dei (Calif.) five-star tight end Mark Bowman for an unofficial visit this week. The No. 1 ranked tight end is one of a handful of recruits from Mater Dei the Trojans have prioritized in the 2026 recruiting class.

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans currently have the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the 2026 cycle. The Trojans hold 14 commitments, with nine of them being from state of California and the Trojans have zeroed in on another highly touted prospect from the Golden State in Mater Dei (Calif.) five-star tight end Mark Bowman. 

As a sophomore for the No. 1 ranked high school football team, Bowman reeled 32 receptions for 435 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games.

The No. 1 tight end in the 2026 cycle was on campus this week for an unofficial visit as USC pushes to keep the coveted local prospect from leaving Southern California. The Trojans have added key members to its front office and coaching staff this offseason to put themselves in position to land blue-chip recruits in their backyard. 

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Chad Bowden came over from Notre Dame to be USC’s general manager and has put an emphasis on prioritizing California prospects. Chad Savage came over from Colorado State to be the tight ends/inside receivers coach. Savage has a reputation as an ‘elite recruiter’ and has strong Southern California recruiting ties. 

"My relationship with coach Savage is great," Bowman told 247Sports. “I would say their pitch is that I am a key part of their 2026 class, and I'm a priority."

"I think they are building a great class. It's definitely important to go into a school with other great players around you. And I know they will always have a great quarterback," Bowman continued.

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Bowman is one of several blue-chip recruits that have reclassified from the 2027 to the 2026 recruiting class over the last month. Reclassifying has been common in basketball for years, but as of late, it has made its way into football. Because of this, everything has sped up in Bowman’s recruitment as he plans to announce his commitment later this summer. 

Bowman will take his official visit with USC starting on June 17. He will be on campus at the same time as his high school teammate, four-star defensive lineman and Oregon commit Tomuhini Topui. 

Topui was on campus this week with Bowman as the Trojans try to flip the highly sought-after prospect. It was his second time Topui was at USC since the turn of the new year, he was part of a star-studded list of recruits that were at Trojans Junior Day event in early February. 

Chris Henry Jr. was at Ohio Stadium to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Michigan Wolverines in an NCAA football game on Saturday Nov. 30, 2024. / Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bowman and Topui are just two of a handful of recruits from Mater Dei that the Trojans are pushing for in this upcoming recruiting class. Other notable names include five-star receiver and Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr., four-star offensive tackle and Oregon commit Kodi Greene, four-star receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, four-star linebacker Shaun Scott and three-star safety CJ Lavender. 

Henry, Dixon-Wyatt were also at Junior Day and have locked in their official visits with USC over the summer. Greene plans to visit campus sometime in the spring and has also locked in his official visit in June. Scott was on campus last week and plans to visit again in the spring. Lavender put the Trojans in his top six when narrowed his list in mid-February.

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