Coach: 2019 WR Elijah Bowick Has No Weaknesses

Scott Chadwick may not be able to point to a single area where Elijah Bowick‍ would be considered elite, but the head coach at Myers Park High School in Charlotte can point to several areas where the 2019 North Carolina wideout is very, very good, so many in fact that Bowick could be considered an elite all-around prospect.

“Every aspect of being a receiver, he does very well,” Chadwick says. “First of all, his size. He’s 6-1, right now he’s about 215 pounds. I guess if there was one thing where he’s a little bit above everybody, it’d probably be size and strength. He’s an incredibly naturally strong kid. Obviously, his size speaks for itself.

“He’s not a track star, but he’s a legit 4.55-guy at 215 pounds. He’s a very good route-runner. He’s very good after the catch. He has very good hands. Like I said, he’s not exceptional at any of that stuff, but he’s very, very good at all of those things. He doesn’t have any weaknesses because, like I said, at every aspect, he’s very good.”

Bowick’s frame and athleticism certainly give him elite-level potential in the short field.

“The things that would separate him are his size and strength and his ability down in the red zone,” his coach says. “The guy scored 30 touchdowns the last two years. He’s very, very good in the red zone. He’s very good on the fade route, things like that.”

Myers Park is one of the two largest high schools in the state of North Carolina.

“We play the highest brand of ball in North Carolina and probably right up there along the East Coast,” Chadwick says. “At least in the Mid-Atlantic, we play as good of competition as anybody. He’s not doing this against chump competition.”

In addition to the physical gifts Bowick was born with, his coach points to his “great work ethic.”

“He’s been one of our best guys in the weight room since he’s been here,” Chadwick continues. “He’s a very, very tireless worker. At the same time, he’s an extremely humble kid. He’s not a big attention-seeker. If you go on his Twitter page, you won’t find the “Blessed to receive my whatever offer.” That’s just not him.”

Bowick isn’t all that concerned with making a name for himself at the camps and combines that often play too great a role in the rankings systems.

“I look at some of the receivers that are ranked ahead of him and it’s laughable to be honest with you – he’s not a big go-to-every-combine guy,” his coach explains. “He’s not out there trying to seek attention. Even when he goes to combines and he just stands in line with all of the other kids and takes his turn when it’s his turn. He doesn’t run up and push people out of the way to get extra turns. He just goes when it’s his turn.

“He’s not an attention-seeker. He’s not a look-at-me kind of kid at all. He just goes out, works extremely hard, does his job extremely well. He lets his film and his play on Friday nights speak for itself. He doesn’t let what he does at a combine be his ultimate evaluation.”

Bowick has been committed to Virginia Tech since January, but that hasn’t stopped other programs from offering him like Georgia and Notre Dame, who offered him last week.

“I’ve talked to him about that and my thing is I don’t think you ever want to burn bridges,” his coach says. “I don’t think you ever want to not talk to people when they want to speak with you because recruiting is a funny game. Stuff happens and coaches leave places, so you never know what happens at places in the next few months. Once you get some place, you don’t know how things work out and you don’t want to have burned bridges. He’s certainly listened to everybody and talked to everybody who has been in. It definitely has not stopped.”

Still, Chadwick says there’s a reason he committed to the Hokies in the first place.

“I think he does have a really good relationship with the guys at Virginia Tech,” Chadwick says. “I think it would definitely take something special for him to walk away from that.”

Chadwick says he hasn’t talked with Bowick about the potential of a trip to South Bend, but expects to soon.

“We’ll sit down this week and see if maybe he wants to take a trip down to Georgia or a trip to Notre Dame. I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to check out Notre Dame if somebody is going to pay for it.”