2021 TE Brock Bowers A Versatile, Talented Throwback

Brock Bowers‍ isn’t your typical tight end, so the 2021 California prospect doesn’t have the highlight reel of a typical tight end.

“How many tight ends in the nation have you ever watched where one of the first plays of their highlight tape is a kick return to the house?” KT Prep 7-on-7 coach Nathan Kenion asks.

Not many.

“That’s the difference between him and a lot of kids,” says Kenion. “You’re talking about a kid who is going to end up being 250 pounds when he gets to college who is taking kick returns to the house as a junior in high school.

“If you watch his film, he was used as a running back, tight end, receiver, d-end, outside linebacker. His high school definitely utilized him in a lot of different ways. That’s been the gist of the recruiting process too. A lot of schools are telling him he can play where he wants to play.”

After sifting through a couple dozen scholarship offers, the Napa High School standout announced a Top 8 of Cal, Georgia, Penn State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA and Washington.

Kenion describes Bowers’ skillset as “off the charts,” and while some schools initially looked at him at defense, interest is crystalizing in him as a tight end, which is his preferred position.

“For a kid who has the build and makeup and all fingers pointing to being a tight end, he’s also blessed with receiver speed and a great catch radius,” says Kenion. “His background playing basketball definitely plays a factor when 50/50 balls are in the air and it’s him and somebody else.”

Kenion and KT Prep have used Bowers in a variety of ways.

“We used him all over the field, wherever we needed him, but he lined up outside more times than not and just run by corners,” the coach says.

But he’s not a finesse tight end by any means.

“There aren’t a lot of throwback, gritty players who actually enjoy what football is meant to be, a contact sport,” says Kenion. “He’s a kid who thrives in that realm. He’s physical off the line of scrimmage. Everything about his game; he’s aggressive, passionate, but it’s controlled. It’s not out of control or anything like that. It’s really something to watch a kid like him play the game.”

Kenion says Cal assistant Marques Tuiasosopo has even mentioned the possibility of Bowers’ versatility being used at the next level.

“Tui from Cal has actually mentioned him along the lines of Myles Jack as a kid who he thinks could play both ways in college,” says Kenion. “They’ve had the chance to watch him live in games and see his dominance on both sides of the ball.”

But he’s not a loud kid who talks trash.

“He just does what he does in a very dominant fashion and allows his play to speak for itself,” Kenion says.

He also holds himself accountable and is his own harshest critic. Kenion recalls a 7-on-7 game that Bowers dominated, scoring four touchdowns, but failed to come up with a 50/50 ball on a point-after attempt.

 “After the game, he was like, ‘Sorry Coach, that won’t happen again,’” Kenion says. “His focus isn’t, ‘Hey, I dominated this game. I was the man.’

“His focus was, ‘Hey, I should have made that one play.’ He’s that type of kid and that type of player.”

Kenion is confident Bowers will bring that same attitude to the college he chooses.

“He’ll come into the room, he’ll be very quiet, but he’ll pick up what people want him to pick up very quickly,” he says. “He’ll dominate on the field. He won’t talk back to the coach. All of those intangibles for a kid of his skillset I feel like are rare nowadays.”

Kenion has advised to try to make the recruiting process as simple as possible.

“The best advice I can give to any kid, which I gave to him is, ‘Don’t get caught up in every single offer. First, narrow down the important factors,’” Kenion says. “Obviously, he has a great GPA, over 4.0, so academics.

“‘Then, where do you see yourself? What kind of surrounding areas? From there, eliminate. It doesn’t make sense to go to a school that sounds good or has a name. Make it easy on yourself and stay true to what is actually going to make you happy.’”

Kenion says it’s clear Bowers and his parents have worked through the process to this point and identified schools that fit, noting that UCLA and Washington are the only “big city” schools on the list.

“Every other school on there is a smaller town, smaller area and that’s who he is,” says Kenion. “Even though Seattle is a city, it still has rural areas and stuff.

“If you look at his list, it’s kind of true to the kind of kid he is.”

Kenion isn’t concerned with which school Bowers picks at this point. He’s just grateful to have coached a player like him.

“For me, he’s definitely one of those kids who comes through and you’re blessed to be a part of his journey.”