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LynnBowden Jr.
- position Wide Receiver
- height 6-1
- Weight 199
- class Junior
- Hometown Youngstown, Ohio
- High school Warren Harding
2018 – Sophomore
- Started in all 12 of 13 games played
- Led the team in catches (67), receiving yards (745) and TD catches (5)
- His 67 catches broke the school record for most by a sophomore in school history … Derek Abney had 66 catches as a sophomore in 2001
- His 67 receptions were the most for a Wildcat since Randall Cobb had 84 in 2010
- Had returned 25 kickoffs for an average of 21.6 yards
- Had two punt returns for TDs on just five total returns, a 58-yard punt return for a TD in the first quarter vs. Penn State and 67-yarder at Missouri
- One of just three players nationally with two punt returns for a TD
- Named to the All-Bowl Team by the AP and USA Today after catching five passes for 84 yards and returning a punt for a TD in the win over Penn State in the Citrus Bowl … Marked the first punt return for a TD in the Citrus Bowl since 1992 and UK’s first punt return for a touchdown in a bowl game in school history
- Second-Team All-SEC All-Purpose Performer (Coaches, Athlon)
- Ranked tied for fifth in the SEC in receptions per game (5.2) and fifth in kick return average (22.5)
- Caught six balls for 86 yards and a career-high two touchdowns in the win at Louisville
- Named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after setting career highs with 13 catches for 166 yards in Kentucky’s 15-14 win at Missouri … the 13 receptions tied for the second-most in school history … His 166 receiving yards is ninth-best in school history and most for a Wildcat since 2010 … Caught two passes on UK’s game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter … Also had a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown … Totaled a career-high 229 all-purpose yards against the Tigers
- Made all three of UK’s pass receptions in the win over Vanderbilt
- Caught three passes for 55 yards and one touchdown at Texas A&M … His 54-yard TD reception in the first quarter tied his career long, which came earlier this year at Florida
- Hauled in a 54-yard bomb for a third-quarter touchdown at Florida, his first career TD
- Third-Team Offense & Run Specialist Preseason All-SEC (Coaches)
- Third-Team All-Purpose Preseason All-SEC (Athlon Sports)
- Paul Hornung Award Preseason Watch List
2017 – Freshman
- Coaches’ All-SEC Freshman Team
- Played in all 13 games
- Caught 17 passes for 210 yards
- Averaged 23.5 yards per kick return with a team-high 37 returns which ranked seventh in the SEC
- The former quarterback completed 3-of-4 pass attempts for 92 yards
- Had a career-high 192 all-purpose yards in the win over Vanderbilt
- Had a 93-yard kickoff return against the ‘Dores,
- UK’s longest since 2009, to set up a touchdown
- Also caught three passes for a career-high 79 yards … All three receptions were good for first downs, two of which came on touchdown drives
- Named SEC Freshman of the Week (Oct. 9) after leading UK with 128 all-purpose yards in the
- Wildcats’ 40-34 win over Missouri
- Caught three passes for 49 yards vs. the Tigers … All three catches went for first downs on UK
- scoring drives
- In the fourth quarter, he caught a pass in the flat and apparently was tackled for no gain when he broke the tackle, zig-zagged all the way across the field, and broke another tackle before finally being stopped for a 20-yard gain
High School
- Considered to be one of the most dynamic playmakers in the country
- A four-star prospect by all the major recruiting services
- Ranked one of the top 100 players in the 2017 class by ESPN and Scout
- Ranked as the nation’s No. 5 athlete by 247Sports
- Scout lists him as the No. 60 overall prospect in the class
- Drawing comparisons to former UK athlete Randall Cobb as he played quarterback in high school but can also play wide receiver and several other positions on offense and special teams
- Scout recruiting analyst Bill Greene said, “He’s a threat to score every time he touches the football and when he gets in a college system where he’s not the focal point of the defense, he could really be dangerous then”
- Another Scout analyst said, “Everybody’s goal was to stop him, and he ran right through everybody”
- Ended hisseniorseason throwing for 1,366 yards, rushing for 2,277 yards and accounting for 57 total TDs
- Named the 2016 Division II Offensive Player of the Year, the Northeast Ohio Inland District Offensive Player of the Year and Trumbull County Player of the Year
- Runner-up for Mr. Football in Ohio
- Named the 2017 Male Athlete of the Year by The Vindicator
- Helped lead the Raiders to an 11-2 overall record and a trip to the Division II Regional Championship
- Owns or shares 16 school records and is Ohio’s sixth all-time rusher with 7,387 yards and 10th in rushing touchdowns with 91
- Also excelled in basketball, averaging 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game as a senior
- Named to the Special Mention team in Division I by the Ohio Associated Press
- Picked Kentucky after offers from Penn State, Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan and Nebraska
Personal
- Name is pronounced “Bowden (BO-den)”
- Son of Melissa Phillips and Lynn Bowden Sr.
- Has a son, Lynn Bowden III
- Major is community and leadership development
Lynn Says
- His nickname is “Six”
- He chose Kentucky because he felt it was the right place with a great coaching staff and the most comfortable place for himself and his family
- When he’s not on the field he enjoys playing basketball
- One word to describe him on the field is “calm”
- Other than playing in the NFL, his dream job is to manage his own business