30 college football players with big shoes to fill in 2017
By Brad Weiss
Ross Bowers
Quarterback, Cal
After failing to win the starting job from Patrick Mahomes II, Davis Webb made the decision to transfer from Texas Tech University. The University of California at Berkley was waiting for him with open arms, and he went on to put up prolific numbers in his only season as the team’s starter. Webb threw for 4,295 yards, good for sixth in the country, while throwing 37 touchdowns for the 5-7 Golden Bears.
Sitting behind him was Ross Bowers, a redshirt freshman. Bowers made a quick name for himself on campus during the Spring Game in 2016, as he threw the game-winning touchdown to Brandon Singleton. The Golden Bears are hoping he can throw for a lot more touchdowns this season, as he will supplant Webb as the team’s starting quarterback in 2017.
Bowers was a four-star recruit out of Bothell (WA) High School, where he led his team to the first Washington state title in its history. A pro-style quarterback, Bowers was the No. 2 rated player in the state of Washington by ESPN during his senior season, and heads into his first year as a starter with a ton of expectations. Webb was wonderful in his only year under center for Cal, and Bowers should be able to pick up where he left off.
The Pac-12 North Division is going to be tough this season, as Washington and Washington State are both expected to be very good. A Washington kid himself, Bowers would like nothing more than to lead his Golden Bear teammates to upset wins over those two schools in 2017. Cal struggled even with Webb’s production last season, which is why Bowers is going to need to be ready to go prior to the team’s opener on the road against the University of North Carolina.