Michigan football adds Alan Bowman, former Texas Tech quarterback, from transfer portal

Michigan has added quarterback Alan Bowman, a transfer from Texas Tech, shoring up the depth and experience of the position.

Bowman, who made 16 career starts with the Red Raiders, announced he is joining the Wolverines in a social media post on Sunday. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder is a graduate transfer and can play immediately. He has three years of eligibility.

This is an important addition for Michigan, which began spring practice last Monday. Michigan has three scholarship quarterbacks, including Cade McNamara, who started Michigan’s final game during last season’s abbreviated season, and five-star freshman J.J. McCarthy. Joe Milton, who started five games last fall, entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal on Feb. 18. Dylan McCaffrey, who opted out before last season and was expected to move on after earning his degree, recently transferred to Northern Colorado where his father is head coach.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was asked last Thursday during a Zoom with reporters if there’s a common theme why the quarterbacks left Michigan.

“I mean, point to there’s been a trend in college football that way,” Harbaugh said. “Players increasing every year going into the portal. Now that it looks like the one-time transfer is definitely at hand, close, anyway, I think it’s something the players are investigating and looking into.”

During Harbaugh’s career as head coach at Michigan, entering his seventh season, he has added transfer quarterbacks Jake Ruddock, John O’Korn, and Shea Patterson. Bowman, rated three stars coming out of Grapevine High in Texas, enrolled early at Texas Tech as a member of the 2018 freshman class.

Bowman started as a freshman and had a big day against Houston with 605 yards and five touchdowns. During his three-year career, he made 16 starts and was 478-of-713 for 5,260 yards and had 17 interceptions and 33 touchdowns. His average completion rate was 67%.

He started the 2020 season, but backup Henry Colombi took over for four games. Bowman returned as starter — he made six overall — and threw for 1,602 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight games.

While Bowman suffered an ankle injury last season that didn’t prove serious, his first two seasons he struggled with injuries. As a freshman in 2018, he suffered a collapsed lung, which forced him to miss four games and portions of two others. The next year, he broke his collarbone and missed the final nine games.

During his high school career, he threw for 11,393 yards and 119 touchdowns and finished his senior season with 3,570 yards and 38 touchdowns. He chose Texas Tech over offers from Cincinnati, Illinois Houston, and Illinois, among others.