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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Proud to say that I have committed to play football at Rutgers University! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RU?src=hash">#RU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/B1G?src=hash">#B1G</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHOPnation?src=hash">#CHOPnation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RU_CoachRoc">@RU_CoachRoc</a> <a href="http://t.co/Uhcm5AKmgd">pic.twitter.com/Uhcm5AKmgd</a></p>— John Bowers (@jbowers_89) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbowers_89/status/540948732108623872">December 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Rutgers picked up its punter of the future, as Bergen Catholic's John Bowers committed to the Scarlet Knights for the Class of 2015. Bowers will be a preferred walk-on, which means he is not a scholarship player (but he can earn one later). The "preferred" part means he has a spot on the team without trying out.
I'll be the first to admit evaluating specialists and punters is difficult, but his hudl film below shows a very strong leg, regularly booming 50-60 yard punts with 4+ second hangtime. That's good enough for me. And this is game film - not trick shot highlights on an empty field wearing shorts. In his senior year, Bowers averaged 37.3 yards per punt, with a long of 59. He put 8 of 47 inside the 20. Special Teams Solutions ranks Bowers as the #4 punter in the Northeast.
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Welcome to the Banks John!