West Virginia continues to address the offensive line with a commitment from Youngstown (Oh.) Ursuline 2025 offensive lineman Phillip Bowser.
Bowser, 6-foot-6, 275-pounds, took official visits to West Virginia and UCF but committed to the Mountaineers giving the program a versatile offensive lineman that could play several spots.
The Rivals.com three-star prospect was initially committed to Marshall but backed off that pledge in December which led to a number of new scholarship offers including West Virginia. Others that jumped into the mix with offers include Ohio State, UCF, Arkansas State, Charlotte and Ball State.
Offensive line coach Jack Bicknell served as the lead recruiter for Bowser and that connection played a critical role in his decision to ultimately pick the Big 12 Conference program.
Bowser is the latest addition for the Mountaineers in the 2025 class on the offensive line joining Olney (Md.) Good Counsel 2025 offensive lineman Gavin Crawford, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel offensive lineman Eidan Buchanan, Cincinnati (Oh.) La Salle 2025 offensive tackle Jahmir Davis and Parma (Oh.) Padua Franciscan 2025 offensive lineman Brandon Homady.
Overall, Bowser is the 26th commitment for West Virginia in the 2025 class.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Bowser and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Bowser is an athletic offensive lineman that has good feet and plays the game with high effort. The senior has the versatility to potentially play offensive tackle or guard at the next level and displays good bend as well as impressive feet.
Bowser possesses good strength at the high school level but is going to have to further develop his body in order to compete at the highest level, which isn’t uncommon for high school options.
An aggressive lineman, Bowser has no problems getting to the second level and finishes strong. It’s no surprise that so many schools jumped into the mix late as there is a lot to like with his skill set.
Fitting the program:
The Mountaineers now have 15 offensive linemen on the roster and 11 of those will be new to the program with six transfers and now five high school options. The offensive line room lost the top six options from last season in terms of snaps played either through graduation or the transfer portal and there has been a concentrated effort to rebuild that room.
Bowser will be a true freshman which makes it difficult to make an immediate impact on the field but it is a position that will be wide open considering all of the changes that occurred this off-season.
Bowser has a good connection with the coaching staff and it isn’t far from home which should help him with any adjustment to his new surroundings. The state of Ohio has long been a pipeline for the West Virginia football program and adding Bowser will only help on that front.
Recruiting the position:
Bowser likely represents the final high school addition for West Virginia with five now in the fold but you can expect the coaching staff to continue to look at options both from the junior college and transfer ranks as they attempt to rebuild the room.
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