Utah picks up former 4-star Penn State linebacker

SALT LAKE CITY — A former Penn State linebacker has committed to play his senior season at the University of Utah, according to a tweet he sent Wednesday morning.

Manny Bowen, a former four-star recruit out of Barnegat, New Jersey, tweeted Wednesday that he was “playing my final season of college football for the University of Utah.

“I am more than excited for the opportunities that have come my way,” he continued. “Nothing left to say, let’s get after it. #GoUtes”

Bowen left Penn State in August but remained at the university to graduate with a degree. He was originally kicked off the team ahead of the 2017 Fiesta Bowl for violating team rules. He had been previously suspended for the 2016 Rose Bowl and for three games during the 2017 season.

The linebacker finished his junior season with 51 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss in nine games. He leaves Penn State with 137 total tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss. Bowen’s best season as a Nittany Lion was his sophomore season in which he finished with 68 total tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss in 13 games, averaging 5.23 tackles a game.

Ahead of the 2017 season, Pro Football Focus tweeted that Bowen had rushed the passer better than any other Big Ten player in 2016.

Bowen visited the University of Utah when the Utes played the Oregon Ducks earlier this month, according to UteZone.com, and is expected to join the team in December ahead of Spring camp. The senior will add experience to a linebacking corps that will lose seniors Cody Barton and Chase Hansen.

He’ll join backups Donovan Thompson, Francis Bernard, Devin Lloyd, Bryant Pirtle, Sione Lund, Andrew Mata’afa and Quinn Fabrizio in an already proven group of linebackers. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Coming out of high school, the 6-foot-1, Bowen had recruiting offers from several of the top football programs around the country, including Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Bowen was able to sign ahead of the NCAA's early-signing day period on Dec. 19 because he is a graduate transfer. His scholarship will take effect in the spring of 2019.

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