Bowen commits to PSU

Penn State picked up a commitment from one of its top positions of need Saturday evening when linebacker Manny Bowen ended his recruitment and committed to James Franklin and the Nittany Lion staff.

The three-star was one of the most highly touted prospects in the Mid-Atlantic region, earning offers from programs like Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. However, despite the interest, he openly admitted on multiple occasions that the Nittany Lions were the favorite, and that proved to be true this evening when he made his commitment official while visiting University Park.

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At 6-foot-2, 206 pounds, Bowen could play either the weak-side or the strong-side position for the Nittany Lions. Originally, we projected him as an ideal candidate for the weak-side position, but following the decision by Josh Barajas to switch his commitment to Notre Dame, it's unclear where exactly the staff currently projects him to play.

Bowen is the 12th ranked prospect in the state of New Jersey and the 34th ranked outside linebacker by Rivals.com. He joins Archbishop Wood's Jake Cooper as the two linebacker prospects currently committed to Penn State's Class of 2015.

Blue White Illustrated will have much more on Manny Bowen in the coming days.