Georgia transfer linebacker Troy Bowles has committed to Michigan after visiting this week.
Bowles is listed at 6’0″ and 200 lbs. He played just 12 defensive snaps over two games as a second-year player this past season (34 in four games as a freshman in 2023), so he will have three years of eligibility remaining. He is the son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, who played linebacker at Temple before embarking on an NFL playing and coaching career.
Hit the jump for more.
Troy was a 4-star, the #6 linebacker, and #80 overall in the 247 Composite coming out of Tampa (FL) Jesuit in 2023. Michigan offered him out of high school, but he chose the Bulldogs instead. Unsurprisingly at a place like Georgia, he was buried on the depth chart behind C.J. Allen, Smael Mondon, Raylen Wilson, and Jalon Walker. His lack of playing time doesn’t necessarily indicate a lack of talent, but just that he was possibly going to have to wait a couple years for his turn.
Going back to his high school highlight tape, Bowles has a thick lower body that he transfers well into being a powerful tackler. He uses leverage adequately and can stun blockers with his aggression. He played more of an outside linebacker role in high school, someone who would play in coverage or blitz off the edge, but he will be an inside linebacker at the college level.
The size might be a little bit of a limitation since he was listed at 6’0″ at Georgia (6’1″ as a recruit, which is usually an exaggerated height), and he was a little bit of a freelancer in high school. He wasn’t always in a good stance to start the play and would get lackadaisical sometimes with his footwork and technique, which is frankly a little surprising for the son of an NFL head coach. But he made up for it with aggression and solid instincts.
Overall, Bowles is a good prospect who reminds me a little bit of former Michigan linebacker James Ross (size and aggression), minus the picture-perfect technique. It would be hard to find a high school linebacker with better technique and instincts than Ross (who is now an up-and-coming FBS linebacker coach), and Bowles didn’t even play the same position as Ross in high school. But that’s who I see Bowles becoming down the road.
With Michigan reportedly planning to move Jaishawn Barham to an edge position in 2025, that opens up a spot at inside linebacker next to Ernest Hausmann next fall. Jimmy Rolder has been a heavy rotation guy, along with Jaydon Hood, but Bowles should step in and provide some immediate competition. Interestingly, Hausmann also transferred in (from Nebraska) after his freshman season, spent one year rotating with Junior Colson and Michael Barrett, and then stepped into a starting role this past year.
Bowles is the sixth transfer portal commitment for Michigan this cycle, joining OL Brady Norton, DT Damon Payne, WR Donaven McCulley, safety T.J. Metcalf, and CB Tevis Metcalf.
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