Football Recruiting: Ridgeland WR/DB Devin Bowman commits to UGA
Richt: We got one of the Bowman Brothers (AJC)
A member of one of Georgia’s most famous football families will finally play for UGA.
Ridgeland two-way standout Devin Bowman committed to UGA on Saturday after introducing his mother to Bulldogs coach Mark Richt. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound speedster will play cornerback or wide receiver in college.
“Devin was all excited, and his mom was all excited,” Ridgeland coach Mark Mariakis told the AJC. “He had been (to Georgia) before and looked around. His mom hadn’t.
“It was one of those trips where the whole family wanted to get peace about the (decision), and make sure it was the right place to stay for the next 4-5 years. Devin called me after they talked to (Richt) to say ‘I’m a Bulldog.’”
Bowman picked UGA over Georgia Tech, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma State, among others. His oldest brother, Adarius Bowman, played wide receiver at Oklahoma State, and recently finished his second year in the CFL, catching 55 passes for 925 yards and six touchdowns for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Another Bowman brother, Michael Bowman, was redshirted at wide receiver this past season at BCS champion Alabama.
How do the brothers compare? “They are different athletes,” Mariakis said. “Devin is not as tall as Mike (6-4, 210). I didn’t get the chance to coach Darius (6-4, 220), but he’s a heck of an athlete, too. Devin is different kind of kid. He has that burner speed, that “next level speed” that Mike didn’t have. But they both bring different things to the table. Devin is a tremendous athlete (runs 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds) and will have a lot of success in the SEC.”
Loading ...Two seasons ago, Michael was considered to be the state’s No. 1 prospect at wide receiver and went public with his desire to sign with Georgia. However, the Bulldogs did not tender an offer because they were pursuing other prospects at the position. Alabama coach Nick Saban saw an opportunity and quickly landed Michael for the Crimson Tide’s 2009 recruiting class.
Back to UGA: Devin is Georgia’s second commitment in two days, following in the footsteps of North Paulding wide receiver Chris Conley — who committed to Georgia over Alabama over the telephone on Friday morning.
“Coach Richt was in his car, going to North Carolina to watch his son [Mars Hill quarterback Jon Richt] practice,” North Paulding coach Heath Webb said. “He was excited to hear about Chris’ decision.”
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Conley caught all 81 passes thrown to him last season, finishing with 848 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Conley, has been timed at 4.42 seconds in the 40, is a late bloomer to sports, starting his football career as a freshman.
“He has a lot of things going for him, with his hands probably being his greatest attribute,” Webb said. “He has ‘oven-mitt’ hands … big, big hands which help with catching the ball.”
Wide receiver became an emergency recruiting need for Georgia after the last-minute defection of Calhoun star Da’Rick Rogers to Tennessee last February. Rogers was the AJC’s No. 1-rated prospect for the state.
UGA has six early pledges toward its 2011 recruiting class. What is most remarkable about the group? All six are homegrown talents from the Peach State — North Clayton linebacker Amarlo Herrera, Wesleyan offensive lineman David Andrews, and safeties Corey Moore of Griffin and Chris Sanders of Tucker.
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79 comments Add your comment
CONFEDERATE DAWG
April 17th, 2010
7:18 pm
HOW BOUT THEM DAWGS!!!!!!!!
south
April 17th, 2010
7:19 pm
welcome to the family Mr. Bowman! Glad you’re a Dog.
north ga dawg
April 17th, 2010
7:27 pm
Congrats devin seen him play vs datrick rogers and he shut him down will be a great adition to granthams d
jp dawg
April 17th, 2010
7:30 pm
still need one more in this class
jp dawg
April 17th, 2010
7:43 pm
need some receivers
19th Hole Dawg
April 17th, 2010
7:54 pm
Welcome to the Bulldog Family!
Congrats on your commitment.
Georgia is going to build a great class this year.
Voice of Reason
April 17th, 2010
7:56 pm
Great news! Welcome Devin………..
JW
April 17th, 2010
8:00 pm
Devin, Welcome to UGA, happy to having you wearing the Red & Black! We are lucky to have you! Ms Bowman, Thank you for letting Devin come to UGA!!
Bo
April 17th, 2010
8:04 pm
Looking forward to seeing him in a Georgia uniform for 3 years.
YELLOW HAMMER
April 17th, 2010
8:04 pm
he’ll end up at bama w/ his brother and some more bcs titles….. did anybody see the bama spring game, dauuuummm …craig james pre-season top 5 ,BAMA , OHIO STATE , TEXAS , V.T . BAMA’S 2 TEAM…. GOTTA LOVE IT TDE FANS
ATL dawg, ya dig?
April 17th, 2010
8:05 pm
So much for that recruting war with GT. Are they even in the picture on some of these guys??
Dawgs need to get excited about Corey Moore. The guy is a future first rounder and we are darned lucky to have him locked down. But I’m excited about all of these early recruits!
double g
April 17th, 2010
8:06 pm
We’ve gotten them, but can we hold onto them? After this year’s de-commitments, it’s a little nervewracking.
Diamond Dog's Parole Officer
April 17th, 2010
8:16 pm
I’m surprised… I thought UGA fans that corners less than 6 feet tall were unacceptable???
DUHH Diamond
April 17th, 2010
8:25 pm
If you run a 4.3 you can play corner. I think there is a chance he might still grow an inch or two, I think he is only seventeen. But more important, he also plays wide reciever.
ReptilesRule
April 17th, 2010
8:28 pm
Both Bama and Auburn looked good in their spring game today. But then again, who doesn’t?? However, it’s apparent that there were alot of athletes out there for the Tide and Tigers. Give Chizz some credit, last season was a mild surprise, recruiting season was definitely a surprise and they have talent and could really surprise this year. And Tider Trent Richardson is just scary. Urban better keep on recruiting those all world DT’s and LB’s.
OC_Dawg
April 17th, 2010
8:29 pm
Now all we need to do is land Swann and Mitchell, and we’ll be set at CB for this year.
JD
April 17th, 2010
8:35 pm
GO DAWGS. I love this guy. SHUT DOWN. Sarah you owe me a one, SWEETHEART.
Spike
April 17th, 2010
8:45 pm
Yep, Tech gets blown off again. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
golfer51
April 17th, 2010
9:07 pm
I hope no injuries to Rogers but I also hope he doesn’t catch a ball for Tenn. If Dooley thinks he can remake Tenn into UGA he is sadly mistaken.
FJ
April 17th, 2010
9:09 pm
These DB commitments in the hands of coach Lakatos is a VERY exciting thought. I think Bowman is underrated because he has mostly played RB but he has a ton of potential at CB.
steve
April 17th, 2010
9:17 pm
Georgia did not tender Michael an offer because of grades, not because of pursuing other players at that position – inaccurate reporting. UGA has higher academic standards in place than most schools. Not whining, just a fact.
19th Hole Dawg
April 17th, 2010
9:34 pm
Steve is right. That is an inaccurate account of the facts. There were some issues that prevented UGA from offering M Bowman. But it’s good to see him focused and doing well at Alabama. There were some question marks a couple years ago.
It’s just another example of the AJC’s anti-UGA, pro-Tech slant. Whatever. At least someone is around to stick up for our little in-state underdog, Ga Tech. I’m glad the AJC sticks up for “the little guy” down on North Ave.
Recruits don’t seem to notice, though. Tech is really fighting an uphill battle and that’s not going to change any time soon. Poor Jackets. At least they play in the ACC so they only get exposed a few times a season.
Football Recruiting: Ridgeland WR/DB Devin Bowman commits to UGA … | I Love High School Football
April 17th, 2010
9:36 pm
[...] Continued here: Football Recruiting: Ridgeland WR/DB Devin Bowman commits to UGA … [...]
Staci
April 17th, 2010
9:50 pm
For all the crying on here by uga fans about their recruiting, Richt has the easiest job recruiting, with Miles at lsu a close second, in the conference if not country. A state stocked with talent, with no real in-state recruiting thread. Even S. Carolina and Alabama have two programs each that go head to head. And neither has the population and athletes Georgia does.
This just puts even a bigger light on Richt’s underachieving at uga. Great guy but he needs to do something big this year. It’s obvious Paul Johnson is a better coach. Not even half the talent of uga.
Dawgvet
April 17th, 2010
9:58 pm
You are right Staci. Paul Johnson does not even have half the talent of UGA. (RIP)
baddog
April 17th, 2010
10:11 pm
I have been watching Devin play for the past couple of years and he is an amazing athlete. If you are interested in seeing him in action click on this link http://www.prepcentralonline.com/pages/school?school=league_ridgeland_high_school&tag=ridgeland&label=Ridgeland#nowhere then the select the video tab and pick either the “Ridgeland squeaks past Carrolton, 27-25; takes Region crown.” or the “Ridgeland blanks rival LFO in subregion showdown, 34-0″ video. Good stuff from #2. UGA also got a commitment from Ridgeland baseball standout pitcher Alex Ridge this year!! His video is the 1st one.
ScoutDawg
April 17th, 2010
10:19 pm
You are right staci. None of those SEC Championships meant anything, or finishing number two in the country either. Too bad we can’t play for an ACC championship, by god that would mean something.
ScoutDawg
April 17th, 2010
10:22 pm
Yeah, it is obvious PJ is the better coach, just look at last year. Bock Bock staci.
Dawg'em out!
April 17th, 2010
10:22 pm
nice pickup, but lets not celebrate yet….
ScoutDawg
April 17th, 2010
10:25 pm
Yeah, easiest recruiting job, ’cause nobody but staci comes recruiting in GA, BOCK BOCK staci
Worm
April 17th, 2010
10:45 pm
Just give me Christian LeMay and I’ll be satisfied with this class!..he’ll bring enough players with him to make this an outstanding class!
True Dawg
April 17th, 2010
10:53 pm
All this talent, and no national championship to show for it…
PowerDawg
April 17th, 2010
10:57 pm
Great gets for the Dawgs. Bowman is eye-blink fast and has great feet and hips. And, by the way, he has not quit growing yet. Will probably be over 6′ by the time he signs. If not, no worries…he has all the tools.
He could become the “lock-down” corner we haven’t had since Champ.
If he gets added to the offensive package every now and then…GRAVY.
Conley is a 100 carat diamond in the rough. (Only been playing three years) He has pure ALL-SEC talent, tons of it. Got a ton of room to add some weight on that frame, too. He will start classes in January and by spring practice next year, he’ll be 200 lbs, easy. Reminds me of Hines Ward but way faster.
2011 Class is starting to shape up very nicely IMO.
reality check
April 17th, 2010
10:58 pm
2 Thoughts…. LeMay & 30-24…. Go DAWGS!
TheItalianDawg
April 17th, 2010
11:04 pm
YELLOW HAMMER,
TV commentators can talk as much as they want, the reality is every Saturday a different team will show up. as solid of a team Alabama is, at every given week they can lose to any SEC team!
Coach Johnsons Paul
April 17th, 2010
11:13 pm
AJC is my puppet. They are falling for my plot hook, line, and sinker!!!
We offer everyone…get turned down…get the Tech name in the papers!!! Am I a genius or what?!!!
We’ll really kick it in when we start getting those verbals from the 8 man football HS All-Americans.
dagrapevine
April 17th, 2010
11:18 pm
if the dawgs land the big three form valddosta they’ll be loaded.jay rome,malcolm mitchel and jermaine holmes.mitchel is another one of those atheletes that can play both sides of the line.
Otto
April 17th, 2010
11:22 pm
Get the championship trophies ready–done heard 3 teams are going to forfeit rather than get run off the field by the dawgs
Michael Carvell
April 17th, 2010
11:34 pm
steve: I covered Mike Bowman’s recruiting from start to finish. Yes, Bowman had borderline grades, but was close enough for many D1 schools to offer, including Alabama. That year, UGA was targeting exclusively out-of-state WRs, including Marlon Brown, R. Wooten, hybrid Orson Charles, etc. Bowman’s academics were better than some prospects (at other positions) that UGA signed in 2009, and Bowman did meet college entrance requirements. UGA’s Searels did flirt with Mike toward the end when UGA missed on some other targets, but by then Bowman was locked in on Alabama. It turned out well for all parties: Bowman got a ring, and UGA did an excellent job maintaining relations with both the Bowman family and Ridgeland coaching staff to recruit and secure Devin.
UGA owns you tasty bees..
April 18th, 2010
12:04 am
Im sure the little buggers are all out of sorts after the ACC-issy Champ. season, best in years, and the only two physical teams they played, not to mention deeper, tossed them around the entire game (see. Triple option out the window, aka Four desperation passes to Bay-Bee, and “Why can’t we win a bowl game???”) sees as all those ripe peaches in our wonderful state keep gettin’ picked by Mark Richt and UGA, because when you’re #1 in the state, and have a Terrific program like we do, you don’t hope for recruits, you “pick em”
I wonder how many rings were made last year 30-24??? GT will always be second-rate.
UGA owns you tasty bees..
April 18th, 2010
12:07 am
Oh yeah, and Coach “32-C” cup size, of coarse… He is somewhere in Buckhead right now, probably having a threesome with Schultz and Bradley… Read between the lines, the love and affection are obvious..
UGA owns you tasty bees..
April 18th, 2010
12:08 am
course*
UGA owns you tasty bees..
April 18th, 2010
12:09 am
And yes, techies, i was talking about your coach.. Now be sure to keep some ice on that eye, never should’ve punched that Dawg.. Your coaches confrontation advice is almost as bad as his offensive coaching
Flo-Ri-Duh!
April 18th, 2010
1:41 am
Most 4.3 40’s are in reality 4.4 40’s – coaches sometimes stretch the truth. That said, 4.4 is real fast. Welcome to UGA Mr. Bowman….. A 5′11″ to 6′ CB is tall enough.
Recruiting Update 18Apr: Leather Helmet Blog
April 18th, 2010
4:04 am
[...] North Paulding receiver Chris Conley announced his intention of signing with Georgia on Friday. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Conley caught all 81 passes thrown to him last season, finishing with 848 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Conley, has been timed at 4.42 seconds in [...]
Paddy
April 18th, 2010
7:11 am
Conley caught every pass thrown to him last year! Never knew anyone that never dropped a pass. That is insane! You said he came to football late, starting when he was a freshman. Is that not when everybody starts their HS career?
Roll Tide
April 18th, 2010
8:29 am
Is Richt retired?! If Evans had a pair he’d tell him to sell the Lake House and get to work. I don’t see how Geargia fans put up with it. The team quits against the Gators and the staff suffers no consequences. What an under acheiving program.Thanksagain for Chance Warmack and James Carpenter, two geargia giants that make up the right side of our offensive front. You take Ben Jones from Alabama and give us James, Chance, and Darius Mckeller. We’re going to send Richt our next national championshio rings.
Topp Dogg
April 18th, 2010
8:50 am
Staci your a panty dropper just no takers.
Dawgbreath
April 18th, 2010
8:55 am
Every year about this time Georgia has the best recruiting class and the best football team in the SEC. Then Alabama and Florida start playing real football in the fall and finalize their recruiting classes in the winter. And Georgia football fans go back into their winter hole until they come out again in the spring. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah……
AP
April 18th, 2010
9:05 am
There’s a DE at Harris County, that would look good in black and red……….
Steve's Girl
April 18th, 2010
9:43 am
“Bowman’s academics were better than some prospects (at other positions) that UGA signed in 2009..”
Specifically which players?
Pago Flyer
April 18th, 2010
9:50 am
Are we looking at another pre-season # 1 for 2011!
Stinger
April 18th, 2010
10:03 am
25-6 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you guys still playing baseball or did you decide to just quit and hang it up for the season?? Just wondering. I really see no purpose in you playing the season out, but if you do, get the brooms out as we sweep you at Turner field.
Diamond Dog's Parole Officer's Little Weiner
April 18th, 2010
10:12 am
I am a panty-waist with no life who spends all his time obsessing over UGA football players because they are the type of man I will never be.
dowgever
April 18th, 2010
10:28 am
kudos young man and welcome to UGA
the real Stinger
April 18th, 2010
10:29 am
25-6? is that UGAs record against GT for the last 31 years in football or does 30-24 sting even more!
Igotyourdog
April 18th, 2010
10:39 am
Normal day in the life of the dogs- kind of a I have no life as a drunken 35 year old so I get excited about recruiting and what might (but never does) come from it-
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
April 18th, 2010
10:57 am
great to hear, sounds like a great kid from a great family. 2011 is shaping up nicely.
anyone know if the magic number is still 25 max for 2011?
Athens is the place to be
April 18th, 2010
11:24 am
Welcome, Richt and Grantham are putting together a great class!!!! I recently watched a video on Isiah Crowell and he said that his two favorite schools are Alabama and Georgia. He also stated that he thought of UGA as his dream school growing up. Hopefully, UGA can snag that playmaker and gain hype on this recruiting class. Lets forget the distraction from last year’s recruiting season, Darick “Benedict” Rogers, he is a joke! I’m certain that we will have a great class this year and can win the EAST for years to come! Congrats Bowman!!!!! Welcome to the beautiful Athens, GA!!!!!!!!!
bruce mac
April 18th, 2010
11:37 am
Stinger, we are still playing but not well as you can imagine. That was a true beat down. Good luck in NCAA tourney and GO DAWGS in something other than Baseball.
I have a great recruiting idea for tech
April 18th, 2010
12:17 pm
AL Groh has NFL contacts ……….correct? Is this not how the Tech public was sold on big Al ?? It was argued that “with his NFL contacts, why tech will sign nothing but 5 star kids from now on”, said CPJ. Right???
He needs to go on ALL of tech’s recruiting trips from now on and talk about the fact that he once met Johnny Unitas and Darryl Lamonica and Bart Starr and even Jim Brown and Dick Butkas and THAT will sell the kid. Right??? I mean even though Al was a coach in The League about 40 years ago, the NFL contacts are simply earth shattering …….right??
The kids and their 36 year old parents will be asking ” who in the hell is Johnny Unitas.”?? AAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA
Al Groh is irrelevant with today’s recruits and we are seeing it every day. He is yet one more CPJ MISTAKE.
Goooooooooooooooooooo Dogs. Sic em!!
Tech Sucks
April 18th, 2010
1:53 pm
UGA is killing it in recruiting as always. Reload baby.
harold
April 18th, 2010
2:00 pm
I HAVE WATCHED THIS KID PLAY. HE IS WELL BELOW GEORGIA STANDARDS! HE IS NOTHING LIKE THE ROGERS KID THAT CHOSE TENNESSEE OVER GEORGIA!
Gillislee
April 18th, 2010
2:36 pm
This kid isn’t anything to special, he is a 3 star prospect who was interested in two SEC teams, UGA and Bama………Bama didn’t offer anything. Look… Florida and Bama are going to beat up the Dawgs and most every other team in the country in recruiting for years to come and their teams will be better.
Rivals top 5 classes
2010 – Florida #2, Alabama #3
2009 – Alabama #1
2008 – Alabama #1, Florida #3
2007 – Florida #1
dc3
April 18th, 2010
7:38 pm
i hope he doesn’t pull a da rick rogers on us
Rodney Garners
April 18th, 2010
9:48 pm
Anybody know a good place to eat in Ridgeland? Preferably near an ATM.
Dawg 3/20
April 18th, 2010
10:03 pm
Mark “2-7″ Richt just sent his #1 QB packing……..I heard several SEC teams are already in contact with him so you probably haven’t seen the last of Mettenberger.
Georgia Lands Two Commitments « MrSEC.com
April 18th, 2010
10:49 pm
[...] Georgia received two commitments during the weekend.Wide receiver Chris Conley from North Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga., and cornerback Devin Bowman from Ridgeland High School in Rossville, Ga., both chose the Bulldogs during the weekend.Conley made the announcement through a release, which you can find here from the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Today my family and I are ending my recruitment,” Conley said in his statement. “This decision was reached through much traveling and research but ultimately prayer. Through all of this, I have come to decide that I will be attending the University of Georgia.”Conley, who chose Georgia over Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Stanford, isn’t likely to visit other schools.“In keeping with my beliefs,” he said, “I want my yes to be yes and my no to be no. Therefore, as of today, I will discontinue my contact with all schools other than UGA.”Bowman could play cornerback or wide receiver for Georgia. He’s the younger brother of former Oklahoma State receiver Adarius Bowman and current Alabama receiver Michael Bowman, who will be a redshirt freshman this fall.Michael Carvell of the AJC has a nice story on Bowman’s commitment to Georgia. Read it here. [...]
dirty
April 19th, 2010
12:01 am
Isiah Crowell is the one recuit Georgi must get.He’s the best rb in the country.
dirty
April 19th, 2010
12:02 am
georgia
BigGAdawg
April 19th, 2010
1:31 am
These two commitments are welcome news. Though my happiness is tempered by the situation with Mett being booted from the team. I hope he is able to get it together and pursue his football career elsewhere.
Mr. Conley and Mr. Bowman, a warm welcome to the fold of the DAWG NATION!!!
SIC EM!!! WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!!!
Recruiting News 19Apr: Leather Helmet Blog
April 19th, 2010
4:01 am
[...] North Paulding receiver Chris Conley announced his intention of signing with Georgia on Friday. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Conley caught all 81 passes thrown to him last season, finishing with 848 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Conley, has been timed at 4.42 seconds in [...]
Craig
April 19th, 2010
9:57 am
Why do Tech and Gator fans come on this blog??? It amazes me, it really does.
AceDawg
April 19th, 2010
10:46 am
UGA has a chance to jump back on big time recruiting with the new energy created by Grantham’s hire. It’s almost like era #2 for Richt. A chance to start anew, though its not like UGA fell off the map altogether.
South Ga Dawg
April 19th, 2010
12:23 pm
Better sign a Q.B. this class
bawahahahahahahha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 19th, 2010
2:10 pm
Just yet another recruit that Coach Paul “turkey neck” Johnson has lost out to Coach Richt. Let me guess, tool fans. He would have been a “student athlete” had he committed to the Trade School, but since he’s all Dawg he’s now an “illiterate thug.” Gotta love those douchebag Yech fans and their pathetic hypocrisies.
Recruiting Update 20Apr: Leather Helmet Blog
April 20th, 2010
5:56 am
[...] North Paulding receiver Chris Conley announced his intention of signing with Georgia on Friday. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Conley caught all 81 passes thrown to him last season, finishing with 848 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Conley, has been timed at 4.42 seconds in [...]
bigdawg8
April 20th, 2010
5:06 pm
I have seen Bowman play and he is a great athlete with burner speed! UGA needs to also look at his other 2 teammates all region DE/LB Mason Harris 6-4 220 (who I heard is being recruited by Nebraska and others) and all region RB/WR Deonte Marsh 5-11 180 4.3 speed also. This trio will probably take the panthers deep into the state playoffs again. UGA already got a commit from standout Panther baseball pitcher Alex Ridge! Go DAWGS!!!
Dave Pernos
April 20th, 2010
5:20 pm
Mark June 25th on your calendar boys