Oklahoma S Billy Bowman announces decision to return to Sooners for 2024 season

Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman announced his decision to return to the Sooners for the 2024 college football season on Friday night. He made the announcement on his Twitter page.

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— ² killbill (@Billy2Bowman) December 9, 2023

He was one of the most dominant players in the country at his position, racking up 61 tackles, four pass deflections, and six interceptions (three of those were returned for touchdowns) in 2023.

In 2022, Bowman racked up 60 tackles in 11 games for the Sooners. He also snatched three interceptions, had two tackles for loss, had five pass breakups, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble. Following that season, he earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches.

In 2021, Bowman appeared in 11 games, starting in seven of those. He tallied 20 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and forced one fumble.

Coming out of high school, he was one of the most coveted prospects in the country. Bowman was a selection to the 2021 Under Armour All-American Game. As a senior, he hauled in 86 catches for 1,207 yards and 15 touchdowns in guiding Denton Ryan (Denton, Texas) to a 15-0 record and a Class 5A Division I state championship.

He was ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 2 overall athlete in the country, according to the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2021 cycle.

Bowman decides to return to OU, More on the 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Michigan, with the first round on Thursday, April 25, the second and third rounds on Friday, April 26, and the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday, April 27.

Players will have the opportunity to solidify their draft stock at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, to be held in Indianapolis, Indiana from February 26 through March 4.

The three-day event will be broadcasted throughout the weekend on ESPN and NFL Network.

To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility.

Last season, 69 players were granted special eligibility for the 2023 NFL Draft. 13 underclassmen who had completed their college degrees were also deemed eligible to be selected.

The deadline to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft is on January 15. NFL teams will receive a full list of eligible players in the class on January 19.