The most memorable Clemson Football recruiting announcements
By John Chancey
![Dec 27, 2009; Nashville, TN, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach stands with running back CJ Spiller (28) as Spiller holds the Music City Bowl MVP award after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats in the 2009 Music City Bowl at LP Field. The Tigers beat the Wildcats 21-13. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports Dec 27, 2009; Nashville, TN, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach stands with running back CJ Spiller (28) as Spiller holds the Music City Bowl MVP award after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats in the 2009 Music City Bowl at LP Field. The Tigers beat the Wildcats 21-13. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/7312da89bb7b9d121017c06e1205976dbff11877287a7851f17822a3b9e01cb9.jpg)
Demarkcus Bowman creates himself in EA Sports College Football playing for Clemson Football
In the age of the transfer portal, inevitably, some prospects who choose Clemson won’t finish their careers at Clemson. That doesn’t mean their announcements can’t still be memorable. In this case, it was particularly memorable for Tigers fans who were also fans of EA Sports College Football.
Demarkcus Bowman played high school football at Lakeland High School in Florida. He was a 5-star prospect from the Class of 2020 in the 247Sports rankings, ranked 25th overall. He was ranked second overall among running backs.
When it became known that Bowman had Clemson in his list of schools, the comparisons to Spiller’s recruitment from several years before started being made. This was a different era, however. The traditional powers in Florida hadn’t held on to all of the prospects. Clemson would go on to have five 5-star commitments for the 2020 cycle.
Bowman followed the popular tradition of producing an announcement video for his commitment. It starts like many, with Bowman attending school and socializing with his friends. We then see scenes of Bowman’s workout regimen, which is serious because he had abs like Zeke Elliott.
Eventually, we see Bowman in his room playing EA Sports College Football, presumably the last version created at the time. His parents walk in, with his mom wearing a Clemson shirt and his dad wearing a Florida shirt, signaling his two finalists. When they ask what school he will attend, he points at the screen and says “My decision right there”.
We then see that Bowman has created himself in the game, and he is wearing Clemson’s all-purple uniform. For fans of the game, this was iconic, as we have all created ourselves as a player for our favorite team. Not only was it a great way to announce his commitment, but it was nostalgic for fans of the video game who had missed it since it was discontinued.