Lynn Bowden signs with UK Football

The Kentucky Wildcats have signed arguably their best recruit in 2017.

Lynn Bowden made it official by signing with UK and giving Mark Stoops one of his highest-ranked signees since coming to Lexington. He picked UK while holding offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Nebraska among others.

The four-star athlete is ranked 60th overall by Scout.com, 110th by 247, and 191st by Rivals.com. 247 also ranks Bowden as the third-best overall recruit from Ohio. He’s expected to play multiple positions at UK during his freshman season, and Darin Hinshaw has already said there will be wildcat QB packages built in for the game-breaking athlete.

Lynn Bowden, Athlete, 6-1, 190, Fr-HS, Youngstown, Ohio (Warren Harding) – Considered to be one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country … A four-star prospect by all the major recruiting services … Ranked one of the top 100 players in the 2017 class by ESPN and Scout … Ranked as the nation’s No. 5 athlete by 247Sports … Scout lists him as the No. 60 overall prospect in the class … Drawing comparisons to former UK athlete Randall Cobb as he played quarterback in high school but can also play wide receiver and several other positions on offense and special teams … Scout recruiting analyst Bill Greene said, “He’s a threat to score every time he touches the football and when he gets in a college system where he’s not the focal point of the defense, he could really be dangerous then” … Another Scout analyst said, “Everybody’s goal was to stop him, and he ran right through everybody” … Ended his senior season throwing for 1,366 yards, rushing for 2,277 yards and accounting for 57 total touchdowns … Named the 2016 Division II Offensive Player of the Year, the Northeast Ohio Inland District Offensive Player of the Year and Trumbull County Player of the Year … Runner-up for Mr. Football in Ohio … Helped lead the Raiders to an 11-2 overall record and a trip to the Division II Regional Championship … Owns or shares 16 school records and is Ohio’s sixth all-time rusher with 7,387 yards and 10th in rushing touchdowns with 91 … Also excels in basketball, averaging 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game as a senior …. Picked Kentucky after offers from Penn State, Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan and others … Name is pronounced "Bowden (BO-den)"

Coach Stoops says: “Lynn is one of the most explosive high school athletes we’ve signed at Kentucky. He’s extremely dynamic with the ball, a play maker who can play multiple positions.”