Per On3's Hayes Fawcett, five-star Texas football target and Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei tight end Mark Bowman has reclassified down from the 2027 class to 2026. Bowman is the No. 4 ranked overall recruit nationally in the 2027 class in the 247Sports Composite and the No. 1 tight end.
Top out-of-state 2027 Texas football TE priority Mark Bowman reclassifies down to join the 2026 class early this offseason
Texas was named among Bowman's top 12 finalist schools with the reclassification announcement. He also included the Arizona State Sun Devils, USC Trojans, Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss Rebels, Miami Hurricanes, Florida Gators, Oregon Ducks, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, and Ohio State Buckeyes among his finalists.
Bowman has already taken an unofficial visit to Texas since last offseason. He visited Texas for the Florida game at DKR last fall.
And Texas is one of the schools in the running to get an official visit from Bowman when he goes on those trips this summer.
It doesn't sound like Bowman is in any rush to make a decision. He likely plans on drawing out his decision timeline until around signing day this upcoming December 2025 for the 2026 class.
Texas is one of the top schools in a good spot for Bowman after the reclassification this weekend down to the 2026 class. Georgia, Oregon, Texas, and Alabama are four of the schools with the most buzz in this recruitment early this offseason. He's talked about taking official visits to Georgia, Oregon, and Texas before.
Bowman has good relationships with Texas tight ends coach Jeff Banks and head coach Steve Sarkisian. Texas has connections on the West Coast on the recruiting trail, especially at Mater Dei High School. Sarkisian's son, linebacker Brady Sarkisian, attended Mater Dei High School in Southern California, as did Texas wide receivers coach Chris Jackson.
Two players on Texas's roster, redshirt freshman tight end Spencer Shannon and freshman offensive tackle Brandon Baker, were teammates with Bowman at Mater Dei a couple of years ago.
After the reclassification down to the 2026 class, the 6-foot-4 and 215-pound Golden State native Bowman ranks as the No. 125 recruit nationally for the 2026 class in the On3 Industry Ranking, No. 8 tight end, and No. 15 from California.