"We are taking over the city!" Five-star TE Mark Bowman delivers recruiting pitch to California prospects after USC commitment

Five-star tight end Mark Bowman made a surprise decision on Friday by committing to USC. The standout from Mater Dei High School in California chose the Trojans over top programs like Ole Miss, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Texas.

Bowman also encouraged other top California recruits to stay in-state and join USC.

“Come join the family," Bowman told On3. "We are taking over the city! All of the talent that’s here, we gotta bring it to USC.”

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The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Bowman was originally part of the 2027 recruiting class but reclassified to 2026 earlier this year. He is the No. 1 tight end in the 2026 class and the No. 2 overall prospect in California, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Bowman's commitment provides a big boost for Lincoln Riley's recruiting efforts, especially after four-star linebacker Xavier Griffin decommitted from USC's 2026 class earlier this month. Griffin is now considering Alabama, Florida State, Texas and Ohio State, with a decision expected on July 29.

Meanwhile, four-star cornerback R.J. Sermons reclassified to the 2025 class and will join USC this summer. Despite these shifts, USC’s 2026 recruiting class remains ranked No. 1 nationally with 27 commitments. Mark Bowman is the second five-star prospect in that class, joining offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe.

Mark Bowman will officially visit USC in June

Mark Bowman is set to make an official visit to USC in Los Angeles on June 6. In an interview with On3, his father, Kirk, expressed enthusiasm about his son’s commitment to the Trojans:

“We couldn’t be more excited. Excited he’s in a place in Southern California he loves. The school from an academic standpoint, it’s a top university, the alumni network, the power and influence checks all the boxes.

"It’s the Big Ten, has a lot of family here, grandfather is a huge influence on him, it checks all the boxes and amazing how it all came together.”

As a sophomore in the 2024 season, Mark Bowman recorded 32 receptions for 435 yards and scored eight touchdowns. He is already drawing comparisons to Brock Bowers, the 2024 First Team All-NFL TE for the Las Vegas Raiders.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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Edited by Rajdeep Barman