Oklahoma Football: Sooners land Penn State transfer QB Micah Bowens

Oklahoma football added some needed depth at the quarterback position, picking up former three-star prospect and Penn State transfer Micah Bowens.

Bowens announced his decision in a tweet saying “Momma, I’m a Sooner” on Tuesday.

After losing backup QBs Tanner Mordecai to SMU and Chandler Morris to TCU, the Sooners needed to add another quarterback to a room with Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams. Rattler will remain the starter, of course, but Bowens will provide depth to a position that was down to just two scholarship players.

For Bowens, it gives him the chance to continue to develop his game under QB guru Lincoln Riley. Bowens’ room for improvement has little to do with his talent. His mechanics just need work and he can continue to take the next step.

Bowens was a two-year starter at Bishop Gorman high school in Las Vegas Nevada. That is the same school that OU running backs coach and former Sooner DeMarco Murray attended.

Bowens does not had the experience that many in the recruiting class of 2020 have, but there is plenty of potential for him to grow as a player. This is why he decided to transfer to Oklahoma, a program that is known for quarterback development.

According to 247Sports’ Blair Angulo, he has “good velocity on throws, but room for growth mechanically” And he “must refine hitch and footwork.” Based on Oklahoma’s history with quarterbacks in recent memory, there are not many places better to improve at the position than Oklahoma.

Bowens joins an Oklahoma quarterback room that contains the leader in way-too-early Heisman odds, Spencer Rattler, five-star recruit and number one dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2021, and Caleb Williams, the top-rated QB recruit in the 2021 national class.

This is a very good quarterback room, as has become typical at Oklahoma since Riley joined the OU coaching staff, and the development of these quarterbacks will be key to the Sooners’ future success. When Rattler leaves for the NFL one of these two will most likely be OU’s starter. This also pushes both remaining quarterbacks to continue to improve with some added competition.

The addition of Bowens through the transfer portal is a win-win for both the OU program and the players. Having the opportunity to develop his game at Oklahoma will be good for Bowens, and the competition this creates in the quarterback room will only improve Rattler’s and Williams’ growth and development.

Bowens will hope to add his name to the growing list of quarterbacks developed by Riley. While he most likely will not see the success that Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, and others had at OU, his game will develop and the mark of Oklahoma football as the new “Quarterback U” in college football will be further reinforced.