Ohio State offers WR Preston Bowman one day after he committed to Kentucky

On Saturday afternoon, Kentucky received a commitment from Pickerington (OH) North wide receiver Preston Bowman. The 6-foot, 195-pound pass-catcher has been on Vince Marrow’s radar dating back to the summer of 2022 and made his pledge to UK despite holding recent offers from Michigan and Louisville.

It took less than 24 hours for Ohio State to finally realize that they should be in the mix for the talented prospect from their own backyard. Bowman announced an offer from the Buckeyes on Sunday morning, his 16th from a Divison I program.

Bowman tells KSR that he is “100%” still locked in with his decision to choose Kentucky, but don’t be surprised if Ohio State looks to make a bigger push moving forward. While currently unranked by the On3 Industry Ranking, that is likely to change in the near future.

AGTG✝️ Blessed to received my 16th offer from THE Ohio State University 🌰 @RecruitPN @ryandaytime @brianhartline @CoachJordan82 @mickdwalker @Birm @MattParkerLR @AllenTrieu @Bill_Kurelic pic.twitter.com/IzYUeHp0WX

— Preston Bowman ¹ (@PrestonBowman9) June 23, 2024

Bowman has camped at Kentucky over three consecutive summers now. The slot receiver was first offered by Kentucky in the summer of 2022 (his first from a DI program), but once wide receivers coach Scott Woodward was replaced by Daikiel Shorts during the offseason, the new assistant wanted to get another look at him.

Following another impressive camp performance earlier this month, Bowman was re-offered by the Wildcats. Marrow and Shorts, in particular, led Kentucky’s push. Bowman then took a mid-week official visit to Lexington before announcing his decision a few days later.

“I feel like I can do a lot of damage in the slot and also play outside,” he told KSR+ shortly before committing. “That’s my versatility. I can play in the backfield and take sweeps. They would utilize me to my full versatility.”

Bowman is now one of three wide receivers on board for Kentucky’s 2025 recruiting class, joining four-star Quintin Simmons (also from Ohio) and three-star Ja’Kayden Ferguson. According to MaxPreps, Bowman caught 43 passes for 713 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior in 2023.