Rice Football recruiting has picked up a commitment from a hometown player. Army transfer Shepherd Bowling has committed to the Owls.
Shepherd Bowling is headed back to Texas. Formerly a star linebacker on the 2020 Katy High School state championship team, Bowling committed to Army during the 2021 recruiting cycle. After spending one season at West Point, the hometown product is coming back to Texas as the newest member of the 2022 Rice Football recruiting class.
As a high school senior, Bowling chose Army over offers from Air Force, several Ivy League programs and a few local FCS schools — Sam Houston, Lamar, and Incarnate Word among others. After redshirting in his lone season at Army, he comes to Rice with four years of eligibility remaining.
Bowling’s addition comes after the recent defection of one-time Rice commit linebacker Cam Dillon, who elected to enroll at Duke this summer instead of coming to Houston. That left Rice in need of reinforcements at the position. Bowling had entered the Transfer Portal in the weeks prior to Dillon’s decision.
The 2022 Rice football recruiting class has now grown to 37 players, accounting for scholarship and preferred walk-on players. That number is likely to grow in the coming weeks prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
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As for Bowling’s prowess on the field, there’s a lot to like. In high school he primarily lined up outside and made a beeline for the ballcarrier. His film shows a player who is tremendous in pursuit but can still get low and bring his opponent to the ground with a thump. He also showed good awareness in coverage, something that’s always a plus to have given the variety of roles in the Owls’ defensive scheme.
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