Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman announced Friday that he has entered the transfer portal and will leave the Red Raiders program. Bowman, who started parts of three seasons with the program, has three years of eligibility remaining due to the blanket waiver the NCAA passed allowing players to play in 2020 without using a year of eligibility.
Bowman was named the starting quarterback as a true freshman in 2018 under former coach Kliff Kingsbury. He threw for 2,638 yards and 17 touchdowns in eight games but missed four games due to a collapsed lung. He came back in 2019 to throw for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns in three games, but a broken collarbone knocked him out for a significant period of time. Bowman decided to take a redshirt instead of returning late in the 2019 campaign, and that decision coupled with the 2020 waiver amid the COVID-19 pandemic that granted athletes the option of an extra year leaves Bowman with the three seasons of eligibility ahead.
The 2020 season brought more of the same for Bowman. An ankle injury limited him to just eight games. He threw for 1,602 yards and 10 touchdowns over that span, but never seemed to get into the groove that he discovered as a true freshman.
"I, first, want to thank coach Kingsbury for seeing something in me that no other Big 12 school saw in giving me an opportunity to attend this amazing university," he said. "I also want to thank coach [Matt] Wells for the opportunity to represent this program the past two years. Most importantly, I want to thank each and every single one of my teammates I have had the honor of playing with here at Texas Tech. I have made countless lifelong friends and memories during my time in Lubbock. The hard work that goes into playing at this level was always easier because of the bonds we were able to create."
Henry Colombi started in place of Bowman last year and should be the favorite to win the job once the Red Raiders kick off spring practice.
