Colorado joins the hunt for 2023 OLB Troy Bowles

Colorado is the latest offer for Class of 2023 outside linebacker Troy Bowles out of Tampa (Jesuit) Florida.

It might be fair to say that football runs in the Bowles family. Troy's older brother, 2021 safety Todd Bowles Jr. recently signed with Rutgers. The elder Todd Bowles just won a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers, completing his second season as defensive coordinator with the team.

Bowles and Karl Dorrell have known each other for some time, as they both were assistant coaches with the Miami Dolphins from 2008-2011 and later, when Bowles served as head coach of the New York Jets from 2015-2018, Dorrell was there alongside him as wide receivers coach.

When Dorrell offered, Bowles had remembered Dorrell spending time with Colorado's second-year head coach.

“When we were in New York with the Jets, at some training camps when I was younger, we would hang around (Dorrell)," he said. "He was always cool to me and my brother and he was always a good person to us.”

Additionally, Bowles was able to check in with his dad to get some further intel on the kind of guy and coach Dorrell is.

“He told me (Dorrell) has always been good to him," Bowles said. "I would know — my dad keeps it real with me so I believe him. He said coach Dorrell is an all-around good coach and a good guy.”

With much high school football still ahead of him before joining the college ranks, Bowles has already reeled in an impressive list of opportunities.

Colorado was the ninth scholarship offer the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder received, following Rutgers, Penn State, Louisiana Tech, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Florida Atlantic and Boston College.

While he's yet to make contact with his prospective position coach Brian Michalowski, Bowles said he looks forward to doing so.

Jesuit runs a 3-4 base defense, with Bowles saying he sees a fair combination of pass rushing assignments as well as dropping back into coverage.

Given his youth, he also noted that most schools after him are looking to wait and see how he develops frame-wise in the next calendar year and if his current speed continues to keep up with him adding more pounds before his preps days are over.

When Dorrell offered him, they talked about the Super Bowl and reminisced about their earlier meetings back in New York.

While Bowles' recruitment is young, Dorrell has already earned the stamp of approval from his former Jets and Dolphins colleague.

(My dad) said a lot of good things," Bowles said. "When we were in New York, he was always close to my dad. My dad said a lot of good things about Colorado, like it’s a beautiful place and that they send a lot of guys to the league.”