Billy Bowman tried to keep a positive attitude as his playing time dwindled late in his freshman season.
After starting five of his first six games with Oklahoma at nickelback, the Denton, Texas, native was thrown for a loop when assigned back-to-back starts at cornerback. Repositioned amid an injury-riddled secondary, Bowman struggled in October against TCU and Kansas and didn’t register any starts or stats the rest of 2021.
The former consensus four-star and top-100 recruit didn’t see the special teams chances he coveted either during a first collegiate slate that didn’t go as planned. A two-way star in high school, he came to OU willing to play defense under coordinator Alex Grinch, but never found his groove at one spot and felt he lost opportunities when shifted around.
“It was tough for me knowing how competitive I am,” Bowman said, “But Coach Grinch, he had me playing almost every position in the defensive backcourt, so it was kind of tough for me learning all that stuff, but I was able to do it and I just did my role. So it was at points frustrating, but I was able to fight through it and have a good mindset, so I was able to learn everything I could and do my best I can.”
Through the hard times, Bowman leaned on phone calls with his father, Billy Bowman Sr. and advice from position mate turned coach Jeremiah Criddell. Now, overwhelming responsibility appears well behind Bowman, whose role has been simplified under new coach Brent Venables.
Currently, Bowman is only working out at safety in spring practice, which he believes is a more natural fit given the full-field vision it provides. There, he’ll look to improve his numbers from a season ago, which amounted to 22 tackles — 1.5 for loss — two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
“We’re just trying to get him to be really good at one thing,” Venables said of Bowman. “Sometimes when you do too much too soon, everything’s neutralized — all your ability, your instincts, your intelligence. Most of the time, it’s that way for a freshman. You gotta be that dude, a generational type of person, at any position, to pick up everything right away. I think for injury and things of that nature, he had to be forced into different spots.
“So we’re really trying to have him focus at safety and put him in position there where he can play in space, use his ability, cover a lot of grass and play man technique, all those types of things. ... His development, which has been trending (with) the needle moving in the right direction, will allow us to have some position flexibility with some other guys.”
With a clearer mind at safety only, Bowman is also able to give more attention to kick returns. During last year’s spring game, the then-early enrollee impressed with his first touch as a Sooner, delivering a solid 45-yard return.
In the regular season, however, Bowman said he and teammates often weren’t allowed to return the ball unless the offense needed the extra yards. OU only returned a combined 25 kickoffs and punts last season.
During Monday’s practice, Bowman slid under a couple kicks, working on techniques with receivers Marvin Mims and Drake Stoops, running back Eric Gray and safety Robert Spears-Jennings. Afterward, he was excited about the perceived greater emphasis on returns under Venables.
Something potentially noteworthy from today:Oklahoma had three guys back returning punts: Marvin Mims, Drake Stoops - and Billy Bowman Be interesting to see how that job is handled this season #Sooners pic.twitter.com/EWOiGWE3R1
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) March 28, 2022
“I can be a crazy impact on special teams, but I'm just doing everything I can, waiting for the opportunity, and once it comes, it'll be shown to the world,” Bowman said. “It’s a different story (with the ball in my hands). That’s where I feel most confidence ever. When the ball’s in my hands, I feel like nobody can do anything.
“I feel like this year we'll be able to be more freely returning kicks and stuff like that … so I feel like if I can show that I can do that, then it'll be a show.”
Given his love of possessing the ball, Bowman is interested in playing offense again “at one point in my college career.” During his senior season at Denton Ryan High School, he caught 86 passes for 1,206 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to a state championship.
Playing both ways in college has become increasingly difficult, however. Andre Woolfolk was the last Oklahoma player to successfully do it, playing wide receiver and defensive back on the Sooners’ 2000 national championship team.
“Offenses are much different now than they were then,” Venables said. “Whether it's just the no huddle or all the moving parts, I think it's probably a little more difficult for a young person to know both of those systems, both sides of the ball. ... For us right now, we're just trying to help a guy like Billy just become dominant at one position.”
North Carolina transfer Trey Morrison, who managed to successfully play all three defensive back positions for the Tarheels last season and is now working with cornerbacks and nickelback, says he sees a lot of himself in the younger Bowman.
Potentially, the less is more approach can pay off for Morrison and Bowman as the Sooners retool their defensive backfield following the departures of three-year starters Pat Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell.
“I feel like it’s really built my confidence being able to stick at one position,” Bowman said. “As of now, I feel like it’s just learning that position and becoming great at that one position before moving onto something else. … I’m going to do my role, whatever it is, and do it to the best of my abilities.”
