Bowman Talks to The Athletic About His Resurgence at Oklahoma State

STILLWATER – In college football there are things you know and there are always some things that you don’t know. One that took place earlier this month about 90 miles south of Los Angeles included Oklahoma State transfer quarterback Alan Bowman and five of the OSU receivers. You remember the name George Whitfield? He’s the quarterback instructor that grew so big in the business that ESPN brought him onto College Gane Day for a season. The Athletic documented a series of workouts where Bowman and OSU receivers Brennan Presley, Jaden Bray, De’Zhaun Stribling, Blaine Green, and Rashod Owens worked out West and they also revealed new details on Bowman and how he ended up in Stillwater transferring from Michigan.

Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

File Photo - George Whitfield Jr. works with a young quarterback.

Bowman and the receivers financed the trip to California with NIL funds from Pokes with a Purpose. They were out there with Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson and some of his receivers. Whitfield had arranged for former Green Bay Packers receiver Brett Swain to work with the receivers. It was a good bonding session and workouts during the down time before the second semester started. 

Bowman admitted to The Athletic that he wanted to train with Whitfield to help correct some issues. One for him has been over-striding which can impact his accuracy. He got some good work and instruction on that.

“We wanted to accomplish two things: The first was to go out there and get better and to gain the connection,” Bowman told The Athletic. “The second thing was to get closer and bond, and the more time we can spend together outside of Stillwater, the better it’s gonna be for our team.”

Bowman is not permitted to speak with the media in his role as Oklahoma State quarterback despite being a 23-year-old red-shirt senior and holder of a graduate degree from the business school at the University of Michigan, he is a first-year player at Oklahoma State and comes under the first-year player rule. Head coach Mike Gundy will likely relax that into the season.

Pokes Report as we’ve done the past two seasons is negotiating an NIL journal on our site with Bowman. We spoke last Wednesday in the parking lot of the West End Zone and feel good about that getting done. It looks favorable.

Now, as for how Bowman got to Oklahoma State University, The Athletic article details how important to him it was to get that graduate degree from Michigan, but how frustrating his two seasons were sitting on the bench and throwing a grand total of 11 passes for 69-yards in two seasons. However, he learned how to quarterback in a different system. Pro style attack and under center. He learned there were different ways to run the football and he absorbed the knowledge that would come in handy for any attempt to play professionally. It turns out that he learned items at Michigan combined with his experience at operating in the “air raid” at Texas Tech that would customize him for his next stop. 

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Bowman at University of Michigan.

Before that he got a huge dose of frustration, and nothing can fuel a determined quarterback more than a heavy dose of frustration mixed with the desire to come back. 

“There were times when I was at Michigan, and I’d come home late at night and look at my girlfriend, and I cried because I was so frustrated with the situation that I was in, and I’d felt like there was no way out,” Bowman said to The Athletic. “I looked at her and said, ‘I don’t know what I’m gonna do.'”

What he did was get that degree and then make plans to leave and use his last season of eligibility at a place where he’s have a chance to play. His connection with Incarnate Word head coach G.J. Kinne had him heading to San Antonio, but Kinne took the job at Texas State. He wanted Bowman to join him. However. other schools saw Bowman in the transfer portal and Baylor made a pitch. 

Bowman and his dad, Kirk, who played tight end at Penn State, made their way to Waco. It was there that his offensive coordinator at Michigan Sherrone Moore had talked to Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn. Oklahoma State had lost out on potential transfers Brennan Armstrong (Virginia) and Austin Aune (North Texas). Bowman was scheduled to meet with Baylor, but made a rash decision.

“We were supposed to spend the night there,” Bowman said. “I looked at my dad, ‘OK, screw it.’ The portal was closing on Sunday night, and this was Saturday night. We left at Waco at 10 p.m. and drove five hours north on 35.”

When the Bowman’s arrived there was no need for a tour of the facilities. He and his father weren’t looking to check out the cheese fries at Eskimo Joes. 

Jerod Hill/OSU Athletics

Bowman proved, as he thought he would, to be a good fit for the Cowboys offense.

“So, exactly what the weekend was, was to come in there and say, ‘hey, is this going to be a good fit, but is this also going to be a good fit for [Oklahoma State], as coaches and as a team? Am I gonna fit for you?’ These comments weren’t to The Athletic but to Pokes Report and Triple Play Sports Radio back in January before he arrived on campus to start the semester.

“The facilities, I’ve been around the country and I’m not as much worried about the facilities, about all the perks,” Bowman continued. “I’m more worried about ‘is this gonna fit for us, is this gonna fit for you? Let’s get in the film room, let’s cut on the tape and let’s get to work.’ Honestly, 30 minutes in, I knew this place was gonna work.”

Why? It was simple and perfect. Oklahoma State’s offense is a heavy dose of the “air raid” first brought in by Dana Holgorsen back in 2010 when Gundy hired him as offensive coordinator. Now, after the issues from last season the offense has backtracked and added in the gap scheme run concepts and play-action passing that Mike Gundy was known for as offensive coordinator. It is all material that offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn and quarterbacks coach Tim Rattay as well as the rest of the offensive staff and especially offensive line coach Charlie Dickey are familiar with. 

Those first 30 minutes of watching the video, Bowman knew he had found the right marriage of an offense for all of his college experience. 

“Actually, it was the offense and the scheme,” Bowman said to us of what helped get him to Stillwater. “So, I played in an air raid at Texas Tech with coach [Kliff] Kingsbury and coach [Matt] Wells, and we threw the ball all around the yard, and I learned how to manage a game when all the pressure’s on you as a quarterback to be able to make plays with your arm, with your feet. Then coming to Michigan, where we play good defense and run the ball, take care of the football, how to sort of be a protector of the ball and move the team and be a leader. So, Oklahoma State was an awesome blend of the two offenses; they’re gonna throw the ball all over the yard, which I absolutely love to do. They’re also going to get in there and really scheme up the defense, really understand the defense we’re going against, 3rd down, red zone yardage, to be able to get an advantage for us.”

In his three seasons at Texas Tech, Bowman completed 67 percent of his passes (478-of-713) for 5,260-yards with 33 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. 

Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer

Bowman in his first game against Oklahoma State in 2018.

His success inside Boone Pickens Stadium is already pretty good. In 2018, his freshman season, he completed 35-of-46 passing for 397-yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 41-17 blowout win by the Red Raiders. Bowman missed competing against the Cowboys in 2019 when he suffered an early season injury at Arizona. In 2020, he returned to Stillwater and while the Cowboys won a track meet 50-44, Bowman completed 31-of-46 passes for 384--yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

Bowman did not detail this tidbit. He also should have included other quarterbacks in his venture to California. His time at Oklahoma State will be measured in what he achieves and that goes for any and all players, but Bowman will be measured by what he leaves behind in teaching what he knows, what he has learned as a quarterback when times are good and when times are frustrating. Bowman is charged wiith being a mentor in that quarterback room with Garret Rangel, Gunnar Gundy, and Zane Flores along with Peyton Thompson and Gavynn Parker.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Bowman (7), Peyton Thompson (14) and Garret Rangel (13).

“Absolutely, that was a huge forefront from them,” Bowman said of the coaches wanting him to help teach the younger quarterbacks. “I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it done twice over, so I know what it looks like. I understand what a championship-level quarterback does as a leader, practice, film, workouts, meetings, everything, and I feel like I can bring that in to Stillwater. Obviously, there’s a young group of guys in that room, and I think the last two years at Michigan, I always like to help the room, so I think that’s a huge aspect I can bring into Stillwater. Let’s not just elevate the team, let’s elevate the entire room, let’s bring these guys with me.”

Gundy is happy. 

"He brings maturity. He's had a lot of reps in a lot of games,” the head coach said in spring. “Been around good coaching, in my opinion. When he came in and we spent time with him, I really liked his appearance and the way he carried himself. He's very humble. He's acting very mature, handles himself extremely well, we're rotating him in with all three groups, never says a word.”

I think he will be first group on offense come this fall with responsibility of helping groom the next first group quarterback.