USC’s top half of its annual “Top 30 Most Important Trojans” countdown brings a fresh face into the spotlight, and it’s a freshman who has already generated plenty of buzz. Mark Bowman, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound tight end from Castle Rock, Colo., by way of Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, checks in at No. 15 after an eye-opening spring and a fast start to life in Los Angeles.
Bowman arrives with the kind of pedigree that turns heads. He is a 247Sports Composite five-star in the 2026 class, ranked No. 29 overall, No. 2 among tight ends and No. 4 in California. He is also the highest-ranked tight end USC has signed since Xavier Grimble in 2010, not counting five-star Duce Robinson, who was rated as a tight end but never played the position in college.
The hype around Bowman didn’t begin in spring camp, but that’s where it picked up even more steam. Coaches came away impressed by what he showed as a receiver, and the early look suggested he may already be one of the best hands on the roster.
He moves smoothly in routes and has the kind of athleticism that stands out even at his size. The comparisons have been strong, too, with positional talk linking him to former California prep Brock Bowers.
"He's really a unique athlete, I'd say unusually developed for a young guy," head coach Lincoln Riley said. "That position is such a hard position to evaluate and find and develop, just because they've got to do so many things well to be functional, so he's just a unique talent. I mean, he just is."
The receiving part of the job looks natural. The area USC wants to keep sharpening is the blocking, especially with Big Ten play on the horizon and the kind of fronts that come with it.
"He's pretty complete, obviously," inside receivers and tight ends coach Chad Savage said before spring camp. "The point of attack in the Big Ten, just in the blocking game, that's what we just got to really emphasize. But in terms of just being a natural pass catcher, route runner, being explosive, he can do all that, which you guys can see from the high school tape."
What really pushed Bowman’s stock higher, though, was the work he put in away from the spotlight. Savage pointed to a player who kept asking for extra time and getting in additional reps on his own. Riley echoed that same message, saying Bowman stayed around the facility late and kept digging into the details.
"Just his work ethic and approach," Savage said. "You could do the bare minimum of showing up when we ask you to be here on the schedule, but he's a guy that's texting me to meet at an extra time.
Or I'm walking out of the building to leave at night, and he's doing a walk through on his own with Sam Huard on the turf. So when a guy's investing the extra time, obviously what you put in is what you're going to get out.
But just his approach on how he wants to be great, it's going to pay off for him."
Riley added to the narrative of Bowman putting in the extra work:
"[He's] been very, very detail oriented. He never leaves the facility.
I've seen him there almost every night when I leave. He's still in there doing extra work or just spending time with various members of our staff, getting to know people.
So, you can tell he's really invested in it."
His placement at No. 15 is notable because freshmen usually have a hard time cracking this list, let alone landing in the top 20. USC’s loaded No. 1 recruiting class created more room than usual for young players to rise, but Bowman still stands out as an unusual case.
Only two true freshmen have ever made the top 20 in this countdown, and just one has gone higher. One was the No. 1 overall recruit in the country, and the other is now the quarterback of the New York Giants.
Bowman’s importance also comes from where he fits on the roster. USC lost its top two tight ends from last season, with Lake McRee graduating and Walker Lyons transferring to BYU, which opens a lane for immediate playing time.
The Trojans added veteran Wisconsin transfer Tucker Ashcraft, but Ashcraft missing spring camp only widened the gap between the veteran and the freshman. Bowman also has a path to touches because of the uncertainty at receiver, which gives USC another possible weapon right away.
Last year’s No. 15 on this list was defensive lineman Devan Thompkins. After earning a starting role late in the 2024 season, Thompkins was expected to break out in 2025, with former defensive line coach Eric Henderson saying he thought Thompkins would rocket up draft boards.
That didn’t fully happen, though Thompkins did take a step forward and flashed explosiveness while also struggling at times, especially when asked to anchor against double teams. If Henderson’s projection comes true, it will happen in another uniform after Thompkins transferred to Alabama.
The rest of the current list includes wide receiver Terrell Anderson at No. 16, defensive lineman Alex VanSumeren at No. 17, cornerback Marcelles Williams at No. 18, running back King Miller at No. 19, safety Kennedy Urlacher at No. 20, linebacker Jadyn Walker at No. 21, linebacker Deven Bryant at No. 22, offensive lineman Alani Noa at No. 23, defensive back Prophet Brown at No. 24, defensive lineman Floyd Boucard at No. 25, kicker Ryon Sayeri at No. 26, offensive lineman Justin Tauanuu at No. 27, defensive end Luke Wafle at No. 28, cornerback Elbert Hill IV at No. 29 and wide receiver Trent Mosley at No. 30.
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