This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah received a commitment Saturday morning from 6-foot-7, 315-pound Corner Canyon tackle Branden Bowen, one of the state's most hotly pursued preps after making big strides in the weight room over the offseason.
I've decided to verbally commit to the University of Utah Utes! #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/Lr8HzE5mTC
— Branden Bowen (@BrandenBowen) September 20, 2014Bowen told The Tribune that he's liked what he's seen from new offensive coordinator Dave Christensen, and joked that he was tired of being hassled by freshman Utes offensive lineman Jackson Barton and Brighton linebacker Cody Barton, a Utah commit.
"I always have both the Barton brothers and the whole family in my ear every day."
But he was a late bloomer on the recruiting scene. Bowen began his career as a tight end and moved to tackle under head coach Don Eck, and has since worked with former Utah and Oakland Raiders tight end John Madsen to reshape his body and gain strength for the trenches. When Bowen first started, Madsen said, he wasn't quite as strong as his frame might suggest, but now he's got the power of guys who are currently playing Division I football.
"The kid's worked his butt off for five, six months now," Madsen said. "Branden's a really, really determined and hungry kid. It took a while for him to get his first offer, so he wasn't one of those kids that's seen offers from tons of different schools from the time he was a sophomore, like Jackson Barton did. I think that's going to work to Branden's advantage. He plays with a chip on his shoulder."
Corner Canyon beat Olympus 31-17 last night and is 5-0 heading into next week's matchup with Timpanogos, and Bowen said he's noticing the results of his hard work on the field. In the run game, he's firing off the ball, and in the pass protection game, he's stoning oncoming rushers.
"I feel bigger, I feel faster, I feel stronger," he said. "Honestly, I feel dominant this year compared to last year."
Eck — a onetime Utah offensive lineman — said that last year he had to stress to Bowen the importance of aggressiveness. This season, Bowen's drawn a couple late hit penalties for being too aggressive — but it's better to err on the side of nasty, Eck said.
"If you watch his film from last night, he's knocking Olympus guys all over the field," he said. "It's fun to watch. ... I think the Utes are getting a good player. If he keeps developing, he could be an NFL guy."
Bowen said his parents and his two little sisters are thrilled that he will stay nearby. He plans to study physical therapy at the U.
Utah offensive line coach Jim Harding (seemingly, given the timing) weighed in on Twitter on Saturday.
The future of the Utah OL just became that much better! OBLOCK!!!
— Jim Harding (@coachjharding) September 20, 2014In addition to Bowen, here's who the Utes have committed — that The Tribune knows of — at this time.
2015
2017
— Matthew Piper
mpiper@sltrib.com
Twitter: @matthew_piper