Kentucky’s Lynn Bowden declares for NFL Draft but will play one last game for Cats
Lynn Bowden has not yet played his final game for the University of Kentucky.
Bowden, a junior who has started at quarterback in UK’s final seven games, will play against Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl. It will be his final game as a Wildcat, he announced in a video posted to Twitter on Monday.
“This place is my forever home,” Bowden said in the video. “It won’t be easy to leave that, but now is the time to enter the 2020 NFL Draft. The memories we made here are something special. From a 10-win season we last year to going back to my old position this year. I’ll be taking those memories with me wherever I go next.
“But first, we got one more game to win.”
Bowden is a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award, given annually to college football’s most versatile player, the winner of which will be named Wednesday. Bowden on Monday morning was named to the Associated Press All-SEC First Team as an all-purpose player, one of four UK players named to the First Team.
As a junior, Bowden can submit his name to the NFL Draft as an early entrant. The 2020 NFL Draft will be held in Paradise, Nev., from April 23-25. The annual NFL Draft combine takes place in Indianapolis. Its dates have not yet been determined but it typically takes place in late February to early March.
Most NFL mock drafts at this time only go through the first round, and none have Bowden — who likely will play wide receiver at the next level — projected as a first-round selection. Before the 2019 season got underway, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. expected about a third of the first-round selections to be receivers and in a radio appearance mentioned Bowden as a possible riser into the first round.
He finished the 2019 regular season as the Southeastern Conference’s third-leading rusher with 1,235 yards on 151 carries. His 8.18 yards per carry led the SEC and among FBS players were second only to Clemson’s Travis Etienne, who averaged 8.24 yards per carry. Bowden’s 284 rushing yards recorded against Louisville were the second most by a UK player in history and the most in a single game by any quarterback in SEC history. He rushed for at least 100 yards in six of his seven games at quarterback (and finished with 99 at Georgia).
Bowden three times in the regular season was named Offensive Player of the Week by the SEC. He shared the honor with LSU’s Joe Burrow and Tennessee’s Jauan Jennings on the first two occasions and was the sole recipient following the final week of the regular season.
In the video, Bowden was complimentary of the offensive line and other teammates that helped bring those individual accolades to his doorstep.
“To the big blue wall, I can’t say enough about you,” Bowden said. “The best O-line in America. I couldn’t ask for a better set of teammates. You guys are my brothers.”
Bowden leading up to his junior season and throughout it has given ample credit to his son, Lynn Bowden III, for being a positive influence on his life. He reiterated that in the video, and also thanked his mother for raising him.
He concluded the video with a call to action for Kentucky fans.
“For my last game in Kentucky blue, I need all of BBN to come out and support us and help us get this bowl game win,” Bowden said. “Come see about it in Charlotte. Bye.”
Belk Bowl
When: Noon Tuesday, Dec. 31
Where: Charlotte, N.C.
Records: UK 7-5; Virginia Tech 8-4
TV: ESPN
This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 4:08 PM.
