Memphis DT looks for breakout

Every year players rise from relative obscurity and sign Division-I scholarships after a strong senior year.

Gerald Bowen hopes to be one of those players.

The 6-foot 270-pound defensive tackle saw only marginal interest through the early months of recruiting. There were very few letters and no phone calls from college coaches. Then in May things slowly started picking up. He received a few letters from some schools, most notably Auburn and Bowen's recruiting started looking up.

"I got a letter from Auburn," Bowen said. "They want me to come down to a camp the end of next month. They said they are looking at me and want me to keep working hard this summer and get in good shape for this fall."

Bowen hopes this fall and a strong showing for the Houston High School defense will be key for a possible future in college football.

Still, living in Memphis, there are two schools Bowen hopes to hear from soon.

"I really like Ole Miss and Tennessee, I have been waiting on letters from those two schools," Bowen said. "I've grown up here so I've always really liked Tennessee."

Bowen attended the Nike Camp and checked in at a respectable and aforementioned 6-foot-0 and 269 pounds. He did not register a 40-yard dash time. Bowen said he hopes to add more weight to his frame over the next six weeks prior to the start of the season and then continue to get bigger as the season wears on.

It's possible that a strong camp showing at Memphis last weekend could increase the Tigers' interest in the hometown prospect.

"I like the University of Memphis. I really like them, my camp there went really good," Bowen said. "I wanted to talk to the coaches a little more, but there were a lot of players there."