2024 CB Eli Bowen High on Notre Dame's Energy & Staying Patient with Recruitment

2024 Denton Guyer (Texas) cornerback Eli Bowen‍ is coming off a huge sophomore campaign that saw him record 11 interceptions as he helped the Wildcats make the State Championship game. 

Bowen could have taken it easy as he’s part of a secondary filled with Power Five talent, but the four-star prospect has done the opposite as Guyer wants to finish the job in Arlington this fall. 

"Summer workouts are going well,” Bowen told ISD. “We're doing a little bit of skill work each day with some lifting and conditioning. We're also doing some speed training.

"It's always about being better than you were the day before." 

The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder has made it an emphasis to improve his man coverage as Bowen knows colleges covet cornerbacks who can play on an island. 

"I'd say being more patient in press man and in man in general,” Bowen said of offseason focus. “I want to read what my man is doing instead of jumping it and working on my off the line releases." 

As mentioned, Guyer boasts perhaps the top secondary in the country, but Bowen doesn’t view it as a bunch of future college athletes. Instead, Bowen simply enjoys playing football with his brother and friends. 

"It's fun playing with my brother and we all grew up together,” stated Bowen. “It's cool to see how far we have come and how good we are now.

"We worked hard for it. All the kids want to make the NFL and it comes down to doing it instead of thinking about it. It's been a cool experience." 

On the recruiting front, Bowen has made plenty of visits in 2022 and while coaches can’t call him just yet, the Texas native has made sure to stay in contact with programs all over the country. 

"It's a call once every week or two,” said Bowen. “It's really just been Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and sometimes Cal." 

When it comes to Notre Dame, Mike Mickens, Chris O’Leary and Chad Bowden have all made positive impressions over the last year as Bowen has made multiple trips to South Bend. Bowen also admits he’s seen the program change under head coach Marcus Freeman. 

"Coach Mickens is cool,” Bowen stated. “I like Mickens. O'Leary is cool. Bowden is a class clown and funny in a good way. It's fun being around them. It's just a good group of coaches.

"You can see what Coach Freeman has done to the place. It's not like a major change, but it's noticeable." 

Bowen has also learned that recruiting is a business over the last few months as he has started to be able to feel out the schools that truly want him.

"I've learned who really wants me to go to their school and who wants me to go there because of my brother," explained Bowen. "Some want Peyton and then me. If I wasn't Peyton's brother, you could see what colleges want me because I'm his brother and not because I'm Eli.

"It's not so much of a challenge because I can identify it. It's another step I have to go through."

And as for a commitment, Bowen is taking his time and focusing on his junior year while continuing to build relationships with his top schools. 

"For me, it's about the relationships with the coaches and academic advisors,” said Bowen. “I plan on committing sometime before my senior year, but things can always change." 

Offers: Cal, Colorado, Kansas, LSU, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Stanford, TCU, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin 

Ranking
ISD: 90 (four-star)
247: 90 (four-star)
Rivals: 5.8 (four-star)
ESPN: 79 (three-star) 

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