Michigan State head football coach Mark Dantonio talks with reporters about the upcoming season Monday, August 8, 2016 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Last weekend, Michigan State had several elite prospects on campus for unofficial visits. One of those players visiting for the first time was Youngstown (Ohio) Warren Harding’s Lynn Bowden. The 6-foot, 185-pound prospect is rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and the No. 1 athlete recruit in Ohio for the class of 2017.
Bowden traveled to MSU with an impressive offer list already in hand. Schools such as Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Tennessee have already extended him a scholarship. While in East Lansing, he was able to sit down with Mark Dantonio and he received some good news.
“That was my first time getting up there,” Bowden said to Rivals Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt. “It was a beautiful place to be at and the coaches were keeping it real. They offered me, so they just need to get to know me more and I need to get to know them more.”
Bowden is a dynamic athlete that could play running back, wide receiver or even defensive back in college. In high school, he plays a lot of quarterback and that allows him to showcase his skills. Bowden also shines on special teams for Warren Harding when teams actually risk kicking the ball to him.
Since this was the first time in East Lansing, Bowden may take a little time before he makes his college choice. He would like the opportunity take some additional visits and build more rapport with his top suitors. The Spartans will likely look to have him back on campus this fall when they host U-M or Ohio State so he can take in the game day atmosphere at MSU.
“We plan to talk about narrowing it down towards my birthday, which is in October,” Bowden said. “My decision probably won’t be made until sometime after football season or during the season. I am still deciding, with my family, what I want to do as far as the official visits.”
Warren Harding has a long tradition of producing Division I players. One of the first players Dantonio signed when he was hired at MSU was from there, defensive back Chris L. Rucker in 2007. Rucker went on to be All-Big Ten and play in the NFL.
Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com.