Alan Bowman was the 37th-ranked pro-style quarterback and 901st-ranked overall player in the 2018 recruiting class (247Sports). He enrolled early at Texas Tech but wasn't impressive in spring ball and didn't win the starting job in fall camp. Three weeks later, Bowman is dominating defenses and the highest-graded true freshman in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus.
Bowman replaced injured starter McLane Carter in the first quarter of the Red Raiders' Week 1 loss to Ole Miss. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Texas native didn't lead the comeback but did finish 29-for-49 for 273 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers. In Weeks 2 and 3, Bowman tore apart Lamar and Houston, respectively, completing 65 of 84 passes for 887 yards, seven touchdowns and zero turnovers.
“He’s done a nice job of protecting the football and still cutting it loose and pulling the trigger when things are there,” Kliff Kingsbury said of Bowman after the 63-49 win over Houston. “There’s a fine line you walk there. You don’t want to be hesitant, but you don’t want to be reckless with the ball. He’s kind of walked that line really well the first two starts he’s had. Hopefully that continues.”
Entering the Red Raiders' Big 12 opener vs. Oklahoma State in Week 4, Bowman is the third-highest-graded quarterback in the country and the highest-graded true freshman.
Here are the 10 highest-graded true freshmen, according to Pro Football Focus.
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1. Alan Bowman, QB – Texas Tech
Grade: 91.7
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2. Jamien Sherwood, S – Auburn
Grade: 91.0
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3. Pooka Williams Jr., RB – Kansas
Grade: 90.9
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4. Justin Fields, QB – Georgia
Grade: 90.6
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5. Andrew Cisco, S – Syracuse
Grade: 88.8
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6. Sam Hartman, QB – Wake Forest
Grade: 88.2
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7. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR – USC
Grade: 84.1
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8. Bryce Thompson, CB – Tennessee
Grade: 83.2
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9. Jarron Morris, CB – Texas State
Grade: 82.0
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10. Jacquez Jones, LB – Ole Miss
Grade: 81.1
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