19 OH ATH Jase Bowen Gets Offer to Play Two Sports At MSU
19 OH ATH Jase Bowen Gets Offer to Play Two Sports At MSU
Just a couple of weeks ago, Jase Bowen’s future was set to be on the baseball diamond after he had committed to Notre Dame, but a visit and offer from Mark Dantonio and the Spartans may have changed that for the two-sport 2019 star out of Toledo (OH) Central Catholic.
Bowen, who recently decommitted from Notre Dame, said that he visited #5 Michigan Stateand got a chance to speak with Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio, who later extended an offer to play both football and baseball for the Spartans at the next level.
Honored to receive an offer from @MSU_Football today!!🏈 pic.twitter.com/orPCnlZVeA
— Jase Bowen (@Jase_bowen32) March 12, 2018
“I went up last week for a spring practice and I had a great talk with coach Dantonio,” he said. “About a week later, they offered me a full-ride scholarship to play football and to play baseball as well at Michigan State.”
Michigan State’s baseball program and head coach Jake Boss were the first baseball program to extend an offer to Bowen before he ultimately decided on Notre Dame.
Bowen told Spartan Nation that to be offered to play both baseball and football at the Division 1 level is obviously a big deal for him and is appreciative of the opportunity the Spartans have given him.
“It’s huge,” he said. “Ever since I was a little boy, I dreamed of playing ball at the next level and to get the opportunity to do that for free is just unexplainable. I’ve been in awe of the opportunity I’ve been given and it’s really high on our board.”
While Bowen holds offers from 16 Division 1 football programs, including offers from Northwestern, Minnesota, Kentucky, Iowa State, and Army, he said that Michigan State is currently his top choice because of the fact that he would have the chance to play both sports in East Lansing.
In his conversation with Dantonio, the Michigan State head coach told Bowen that he was obviously in full support of him playing both sports and also added that he sees Bowen as a slot receiver and return man with the football team.
“We talked about family, Michigan State University and just playing both and what his opinion was on that and he told me he was all for it,” he said. “He said that he’s looking for guys who have high character and that can help him win a National Championship and that would be a huge goal of mine. He said he really likes me as a player and wants me to play in the slot there and maybe play punt returner and kick returner as well.”
After learning of the news of his offer to play football at Michigan State, Bowen said that Boss and baseball recruiting coordinator Graham Sikes have already reached out to him to continue building a rapport that they began building before he committed to Notre Dame.
“He and coach Sikes they’ve contacted me and we’re just building our relationship,” he said. “They talked to me previously and they respected the fact that I was committed, but now that I’m uncommitted, we’ve started to regain contact and it’s been great talking to them again.”
Bowen also noted that Boss is also on board with allowing him to play both sports if he were to choose the Spartans.
“He just got in contact with me and my family and said that he’s excited for me and that the football side opened up,” he said. “He’s very, very open to playing both.”
As far as his visit to Michigan State is concerned, Bowen admitted that he came away impressed with the Michigan State coaching staff, specifically wide receivers coach Terrence Samuel and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel and also noted that his parents also enjoyed the visit and how they were treated during their time on campus.
“I love all of the coaches there,” he said. “They’re all high-energy guys, but they’re also laid back as well. I spent time with Coach Samuel, the receivers coach and I like the way he coaches in his meetings and how he coaches the players. The facilities there are top notch, which is really awesome to see. Also coach Tressel, I had a great time with him up there and he really impressed me, he’s the type of guy who can get you fired up to play football. It definitely had a great impression on me and my family and we love the way they treated me with their hospitality.”
Remember to check back to Spartan Nation for all of the latest news on this top two-sport star out of the state of Ohio and the Spartans!
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