After injuries, Bowen making an impact
Lining up as a starting defensive end during last week’s season opener, Incarnate Word’s Brandon Bowen said he felt something snap inside him.
In 2020, when he was preparing to enter his fifth year at TCU, Bowen noticed his role shifting closer to a coaching position, acting as a leader on the sideline and an occasional reserve. He knew he still had more to offer on the field, wanting to show why he once was a consensus four-star recruit in the class of 2016 out of Trophy Club Byron Nelson.
His opportunities to play had been limited through the years — a product of losing most of three seasons to injury before opting out in 2020 to help his family through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through each challenge, Bowen said he aimed to project a positive mindset, determined to translate his intensity in practice to game situations.
After delivering 11 tackles, 2½ tackles for loss and a sack last week against Youngstown State, Bowen leads UIW into its home opener against Prairie View A&M at 7 p.m. Saturday at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium.
“It’s a blessing,” Bowen said. “I’ve been through a lot of stuff trying to get here, so being able to step foot on the field and actually start meant the world to me.”
At 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, Bowen’s physical gifts stood out immediately on the Cardinals’ practice field, coach Eric Morris said.
Bowen left high school as Rivals’ No. 63 overall recruit, and he said his transfer process included a couple other offers as well as contact with Virginia Tech and Utah State.
His uncle, Bruce Bowen, won three NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs from 200109
and now coaches high school basketball in the area, and Brandon said he had some familiarity with San Antonio after visiting as a child.
But his decision to come to UIW was based more on the program’s hunger to win and his opportunity to be an on-field leader for a young defense, he said. Morris described him as a “great kid” and a “competitor” who developed focus under TCU’S coaches.
“He doesn’t say much, just comes out and works extremely hard, learns the playbook, and I think he’ll just keep getting better and better as time goes on,” Morris said. “I’m super proud of what he brought to our team, and I think he could be a differencemaker for us on defense.”
Bowen knew he was stepping into a program that didn’t have the facilities and amenities he was used to at TCU, and Morris said the jump from the Power Five to the FCS often can be humbling.
But Bowen said humility was one of the main lessons he learned in his time at TCU. Seeing how the Horned Frogs blocked out distractions and noise at that
level, Bowen knew he could bring the same mentality to the Cardinals.
He described his leadership style as “more of a shower,” but he said he’s become flexible at UIW, embracing a more hands-on approach of teaching his younger teammates.
Morris said Bowen brings a spark each day with no complaints, and the Cardinals feel the impact.
“He runs around with a smile on his face, and he’s a big, energetic guy,” linebacker Isaiah Paul said. “We need one of those on the team, just to bring energy and passion. Him coming here and contributing to this team is huge for us, especially having an older guy like that is definitely good in the locker room.”
Bowen played in four games and made one tackle for TCU in 2020 before opting out of the rest of the season. After both of his parents were diagnosed with COVID-19, Bowen moved home to care for his autistic 20-year-old brother, helping provide the essentials like daily meals.
His parents recovered after about two weeks, but Bowen said he lost his grandmother to COVID-19 and saw the virus spread through his father’s side of the family, canceling plans for them to visit from California to see him play what could have been his final college season.
He tried to stay in shape with daily workouts, but he said being present to help his family was the priority.
“I just felt like I wasn’t left out,” Bowen said. “I didn’t want to feel if something tragic did happen, that I was nowhere to be found.”
Bowen’s early years at TCU were derailed by injuries. He played three games during his true freshman season before suffering a torn labrum that cost him the rest of the year. He said he tried to come back too early the following spring, aggravating the injury severely enough that he needed to sit out the 2017 season.
He returned to play eight games with three tackles as a sophomore in 2018, but he again sat out the 2019 campaign after chipping a bone in his shoulder during practice.
Bowen said he took the setbacks as learning experiences, developing habits that have kept him healthy so far at UIW.
“To this day, I still do a bunch of extra stuff just so I don’t have to worry about anything else,” Bowen said. “As I’m older, I know that staying on top of your body and your physical health means a lot when you’re coming out here trying to produce at a high level.”