Five-star 2027 wide receiver Kesean Bowman heard of Brian Hartline’s reputation as a recruiter and developer long before he camped with Ohio State on June 17.
The Tennessee standout got to see his coaching firsthand in Columbus last month, and walked away with an offer from the Buckeyes.
“It was amazing. It was great being coached by coach Hartline,” Bowman told Eleven Warriors after the camp. “He was coaching me hard and I enjoy learning from the best. I learned how to get in and out of my breaks, and the steps you need to take to get in and out of your breaks the best you can.”
Bowman was grateful for the offer and has admired OSU from afar for a long time.
“There’s a lot of tradition here and it’s a winning program,” Bowman said of Ohio State. “They put people in the NFL and that’s where I want to end up. Hopefully I can make that happen.”
Although Bowman had long heard about Hartline’s reputation, the camp was the first time the pair connected with each other. Bowman says he looks forward to growing that relationship in the future.
“He’s a dog, just brings a lot of energy,” Bowman said. “He wants to win and he wants to win every rep. He wants to do everything to perfect it. He’s just a dog.”
Bowman had a busy summer, making no shortage of recruiting trips, including to Oregon, Tennessee, North Carolina, Michigan, Michigan State, Texas A&M, and LSU.
“Just the relationship with the coaches and how they develop players,” Bowman said regarding what he looks for on his recruiting visits. “How many players do they put at the next level? Just really, development.
Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Bowman is considered the No. 23 overall player and the No. 5 wide receiver in the 2027 class. Hartline is swinging big for the 2027 cycle, as OSU has offered five of the top six wide receivers ranked in the 247Sports composite, one of whom (Jamier Brown) is already committed to the Buckeyes.
Bowman is in no rush to make a decision and says if he hasn’t committed by August, he’ll likely take his recruitment past his junior season. The 6-foot, 174-pound standout says he plans to be back at OSU for the Buckeyes’ season opener against Texas on Aug. 30. It will be his first gameday trip to Ohio Stadium.
“I’m really excited,” Bowman said. “Just seeing all the games on TV and seeing how many people they put in there and the big crowds, you always hear about how loud it gets so I’m really excited for that.”
