4-star TE Jackson Bowers commits to BYU

Early in his recruiting process, Mesa (Ariz.) Mountain View four-star tight end Jackson Bowers was leaning towards BYU. But Washington continued to make a large push for the talented pass catcher.

As recently as three weeks ago, Bowers planned to commit to the Huskies. He was sure he wasn’t going to change his mind. But as he had more time to think about his decision, he realized that the Cougars were the best program for him.

“It’s like a home, so that’s why I chose it,” Bowers told On3. “I’ve been there so much and I’ve just become so comfortable with it.”

Bowers estimates he has been to Provo between 12 and 14 times. He has family and friends in the area, including cousins who played for the Cougars’ sports programs. That familiarity impacted Bowers’ confidence in his decision.

He was also impressed by how BYU utilizes tight ends in their offense. Bowers built a strong connection with Cougars tight end coach Steve Clark during the recruiting process and believes he can have an impact role soon after he arrives on campus.

“They love to use the tight end,” Bowers said. “I can play anywhere where the tight end is needed. I can block for them. And I can catch for them. They use them in all different types of ways. They put three tight ends on the field sometimes. I’ll be doing a lot for them, I feel like.”

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Bowers took two visits to BYU during his recruiting process, an official on June 3 and an unofficial on March 28. The only other program he visited twice was Arizona. The Wildcats received a June 10 official visit from Bowers, who then traveled to Washington for an official visit a week later.

All three schools were in Bowers’ top seven along with Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Oregon. Bowers is the No. 313 overall prospect and No. 18 tight end in the 2023 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. The 6-foot-4, 245 pound tight end is also the highest-ranked prospect in the Cougars’ 2023 recruiting class.

“I don’t remember what day, but I just woke up and was like, ‘Yeah, I need to go to BYU,'” Bowers said.