Well before Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles’ son, Troy, announced his college decision, the former NFL player made a strong statement about his Georgia-bound offspring.
“I played for the [Washington] Redskins at 6-2, 205,” Todd Bowles said about his son via Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times in 2021. “He’s bigger, he’s faster and he’s way more athletic than I ever was.”
Troy Bowles, a four-start linebacker, announced his commitment to play at Georgia on Saturday, July 16 via social media. Bowles became the nation’s second-ranked prep linebacker at Jesuit High School in Tampa last year. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound linebacker tallied 110 tackles, seven sacks, two interceptions last season.
Todd Bowles committed to keep his son playing at the Tampa Catholic school though, other NFL teams had interest in luring the elder Bowles away from Tampa. The Bucs kept Bowles after the 2021 season, and he became the head coach in March after Bruce Arians stepped down.
“I would not do that to him,” Bowles said about his son via Knight in 2021. “They do a great job over there teaching him life skills and football. It’s great that he’s over there; I think Coach [Matt] Thompson does a heck of a job.”
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‘He Can Smell the Ball’
Todd Bowles played college football at Temple before an eight-year NFL career with the Redskins and San Francisco 49ers. While his son’s football journey has only begun, his coaches see a lot of promise in him.
“He can smell the ball when it’s coming out, and he’s always on the go,” Jesuit defensive coordinator Darrell Palmer said via Knight.
Bowles has been a force for Jesuit for the past three years. He has 271 tackles, 12 sacks, and five interceptions in his career.
“I truly try to keep him out in space because he’s so athletic,” Palmer added via Knight. “He’s great against the pass, great against the run in the open field, and certain blitzes — weakside blitzes that I get to utilize him for, being out in space.”
Troy Bowles hopes to develop his game further with Georgia after his senior season at Jesuit. He noted that his father “didn’t care” about the school choice but gave him the “pros and cons for each school” according to 247Sports.
“It’s mainly because of player development and definitely the opportunity there,” Bowles said via 247Sports. “People think that they get all these linebackers, so you are not going to play. But it’s not like that.”
“I think I can come in there and work, and I feel like the opportunity is there to get developed with the lifting, nutrition and support,” Bowles added. “Just all that stuff factors in and then, obviously, the coaching is great. Athens is also a great college town, but it’s quiet at the same time. So, you get the best of both worlds.”
‘Mr. Tibbs’
Todd and Taneka Bowles named their Georgia-bound son and middle child Troy Isaiah Bowles, and the high senior got a nickname with his full initials.
“I call him, ‘Mr. Tibbs,’ so Isaiah came about just because I wanted his nickname to be with an ‘I,'” Todd Bowles said via Knight. “That’s kind of where my thinking was at at the time.”
The nickname also came about because of the character Virgil Tibbs from the movie “In the Heat of the Night” according to Knight. Todd Bowles is a fan of the actor Sidney Poitier, who played Tibbs in the movie, Knight reported.
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Bucs Coach Todd Bowles’ Son Chooses Defending Champions