4-star DL Johnny Bowens commits to Oregon

Converse (Texas) Judson four-star defensive lineman Johnny Bowens announced his commitment to Oregon on Thursday. He chose the Ducks over Texas and Texas A&M.

Bowens took an unofficial visit to Eugene on Oct. 1. He was previously pledged to the Aggies from Dec. 25, 2021 to June 28.

The 6-foot-2, 254-pound prospect is the No. 272 overall prospect and No. 36 defensive lineman in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 50 player in Texas.

“Since Oregon offered, they have been talking to me,” Bowens told On3’s Chad Simmons on March 13. “They know I want to get into Business, so they have talked about how they can help with that after football. I know they have had some good players and (defensive line) coach Tony Tuioti and I have been talking a good bit. It is a school I want to visit.”

Following Bowens’ commitment, Oregon’s 2023 recruiting class contains 24 players. The Texas native is the Ducks’ second pledge in two days, following Lakeland (Fla.) three-star interior offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson.

Head coach Dan Lanning and his staff currently have commitments from two five-stars, 11 four-stars and 10 three-stars. Oregon’s group ranks No. 11 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 1 in the Pac-12.

For more Oregon recruiting intel, check out Scoop Duck.

The Ducks’ highest-rated commit is Detroit Martin Luther King five-star quarterback Dante Moore, the No. 7 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus. Oregon’s other five-star pledge is Palo Alto (Calif.) Menlo-Atherton wide receiver Jurrion Dickey.

Bowens is now one of five defensive linemen heading to Eugene. The others are Chandler (Ariz.) four-star A’mauri Washington, Cypress (Texas) Cy Woods four-star Terrance Green, Peoria (Ariz.) Liberty three-star My’Keil Gardner and Layton (Utah) Layton Christian Academy three-star Tevita Pome’e.

Landing Bowens gives the Ducks 12 top-300 prospects in the On3 Consensus. Additionally, he is the Oregon’s fourth commit from Texas alongside Woods, Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus four-star wide receiver Ashton Cozart and San Antonio (Texas) William J. Brennan three-star safety Tyler Turner.

Bowens has an On3 NIL Valuation of $10.6K. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.