A Salute to Lynn Bowden

Background of Lynn Bowden

Lynn Bowden Jr is a junior at the University of Kentucky and he is probably one of the most special players in Kentucky football history. Coming out of Youngstown, Ohio, Lynn Bowden was a four-star athlete by most recruiting services, he played RB his freshman season before switching to QB for his other three seasons. He originally committed to Indiana before Mark Stoops offered him a scholarship and he flipped his commitment.

Freshmen Season

Lynn Bowden didn’t have the biggest arm coming out of high school so Mark Stoops decided that Lynn would be better off playing WR for the Wildcats. In his freshmen season, he had glimpses of greatness mainly doing kick returns in a game versus Vanderbilt. In early November, Lynn would have three receptions for 76 yards and two kick returns for 56 yards and a 28-yard average. He also showed his ability to run the wildcat (where you put your WR at QB to try and trick the defense) throwing four passes for 92 yards. Lynn Bowden wasn’t satisfied with these stats yet.

Sophomore Season

Everyone had high hopes for Lynn Bowden coming into his Sophomore season after showing glimpses of greatness in his freshman season. After a not-so-good first game against Central Michigan he decided to show up against Florida. He was able to haul in four passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, scoring his first collegiate touchdown. With this, he was able to break Kentucky's long losing streak against Florida. Then in a must-win game against Missouri, Lynn Bowden caught 13 passes for 166 yards and he had two punt returns for 63 yards and a punt return touchdown to cut into Missouri and help set up Kentucky's game-winning drive. In Kentucky's final game against Penn State in the Citrus Bowl where both teams were competing for ten wins, Lynn Bowden struck again catching five passes for 84 yards and had a punt return touchdown.

Junior Season

Coming into this season Lynn was named WR1 for the Wildcats. In the second game of the season, QB1 for Kentucky, Terry Wilson, got injured and had to get season-ending surgery. Next man up, Sawyer Smith, was named the starter. In Lynn’s first game with Sawyer as his QB he had seven receptions for 70 yards as Kentucky almost upset number ten Florida. After three games, Sawyer Smith got injured. That meant Kentucky would have to make a decision, start the WR who played QB in high school, or QB3 Walker Wood. Kentucky decided on Lynn Bowden and he didn’t disappoint in his first game against Arkansas. He had 24 carries for 196 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 78 yards and a touchdown, leading Kentucky to a victory. When Kentucky played Missouri, he had 21 carries for 204 yards and two touchdowns with a blowout Kentucky win. Perhaps his best game as a Wildcat came against Louisville where he rushed for 284 yards on 22 attempts and four touchdowns, leading Kentucky to a 30-point blowout over their rival. After leading Kentucky to a 7-5 season and going 5-2 as a starter he announced the bowl game against Virginia Tech would be his final and he would go to the NFL. He wanted his final game to go out with a bang against a rushing defense that was a top 15 in the nation. In Bud Foster's final game he rushed for 233 yards and two touchdowns, and even after being told all he can do is run, he threw a game-winning touchdown pass with 15 seconds left to Josh Ali to upset the Virginia Tech Hokies. To say he went out with a bang is an understatement.

What’s Next for Lynn Bowden

Not many people know what Lynn Bowden will be in the NFL but many scouts are comparing him to Saints do-it-all player Taysom Hill. He is a projected third-round pick and a lot of people think in the right system Lynn Bowden can become one of the most dynamic players in the league. Being able to play WR, run the wildcat and kick/punt returns. I hope the NFL treats Lynn Bowden well and that he finds success at the next level.