Mark Bowman doesn’t just play like a tight end who can change a game. He also shows up like one who’d rather keep his feet free.
The USC freshman walked into a Tuesday afternoon press conference without shoes, then did the same thing when he stepped onto the Coliseum field before the Washington game on Oct. 3, while he was sidelined by injury. Bowman said the habit comes from a belief that shoes can work against him.
“It’s something that I’m kind of tuned into,” Bowman told reporters. “I just like not weakening my feet by using the new age shoe. I think that it kind of puts your foot in an uncomfortable position, can cause injuries.”
Bowman said he started moving away from shoes at times after dealing with big toe issues in high school. Whatever the reason, it hasn’t slowed him down on the field. It certainly hasn’t stopped him from turning into one of USC’s most intriguing early-season weapons.
He opened his USC highlight reel with a leap against Louisiana that ended in a touchdown. Then came the Ohio State play, when he hurdled two defenders and turned it into a 70-yard gain. The move drew plenty of praise inside the locker room.
“He did jump over two guys, which is pretty impressive,” receiver Trent Mosley said. “But after that, he had to truck a dude. So that was pretty impressive.”
Bowman has been asked to do plenty for the Trojans, lining up as both a receiver and a blocker. Even with three games missed because of injury, he has 24 catches for 283 yards this season. Pro Football Focus has him graded at 81.5 as a blocker, a strong number that reflects how much USC trusts him in the dirty work too.
That versatility matters in a Lincoln Riley offense that has long leaned on tight ends. Last season, Lake McRee and Walker Lyons helped make 12 personnel a regular part of the Trojans’ attack. USC hasn’t quite duplicated that formula, but Bowman has slotted in smoothly.
“He’s an aggressive, confident kid by nature,” Riley said, “and he’s very attentive. He’s learned quickly and then for anybody just to be able to step out there and make those types of plays, there’s got to be some real inner belief. And I think he he has that confidence.”
USC also learned where it stands in the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee. The Trojans landed at No. 20 in the first rankings of the season, giving them another data point in a year where the path is still there but far from simple.
USC is 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten, and it has now appeared in the CFP rankings 40 times since they began in 2014 without reaching the playoff. November gives the Trojans a shot to move up, with games still remaining against No.
6 Indiana and No. 5 UCLA.
Indiana checks in at No. 4 in the rankings, while UCLA sits at No. 8.
The Indiana game now has a kickoff time, too. USC’s road matchup at No.
6 Indiana on Nov. 14 will start at 12:30 p.m. PT and air live on CBS (Ch.
2).
That means it will be the first time since Week 3 that USC won’t be on NBC in prime time. The last exception came in a 12:30 p.m. kickoff against Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J.
Elsewhere on the USC front, running back King Miller added another honor to his season. He was nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy, which goes to the nation’s best college football player who began his career as a walk-on.
Miller earned a scholarship after a 2025 season in which he ran for 972 yards and eight touchdowns on 156 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. His top performance came against Michigan, when he rushed 18 times for 158 yards and a touchdown while Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders were out injured.
This season, Miller has 603 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 125 carries, along with seven receptions for 41 yards.
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USC Lands A Fast-Rising Defender With Even More Upside Ahead
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For USC, the addition fits the broader momentum around a class that now sits at 15 commitments. Jones brings the kind of upside programs covet along the defensive front, and the fact that he chose the Trojans after being tied elsewhere suggests the staff made a real impression in person. The next question is how far his game can go once he gets into USCs system. [Read more 🡒]
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Hall finished with 22 points and led USC in rebounds, giving the Trojans another high-level option to lean on as Watkins works back into rhythm after her ACL injury. Watkins missed all of her three-point attempts, which is the sort of detail that matters less in a lopsided opener than it will when the schedule tightens, especially with South Carolina looming as a much stiffer test for a team that suddenly looks deeper and more dangerous. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Got An Exciting First Look At Its New Core
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Arenas led the way with 21 points, Adonis Ratliff added 25 and Darius Ratliff chipped in 14 points with five blocked shots, the kind of production that immediately changes the tone around a roster. Musselman already had prior NBA connections with Arenas and the Ratliffs, and after one game, it is easy to see why their arrival has raised expectations for what USC might become as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]