18 is not just the age you have to be in order to rent the extended cut of the third Hobbit movie. It’s also the jersey number of one of Boise State’s best returning wide receivers.

#18, Billy Bowens, 6Y Senior, Wide Receiver

Credit: Broncosports.com

Stats

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 195lbs

High school: Redlands East Valley High (Redlands, CA)

How’d he get to The Blue™?

As a 3-star recruit coming out of HS, Bowens was known as a speedster with the ability to run crisp and efficient routes. Every Mountain West coach and their mom offered Bowens, but he committed a week after an official visit to Boise in October of 2017. Bowens stepped on campus as a student-athlete in August of 2018.

Nickname

“Wild Bill”

Not to be confused with William Donovan or James Butler Hickock. Just because one basically invented the CIA and the other was a legendary old west gunfighter, that doesn’t mean they get to monopolize such a cool nickname forever. So, we’re taking it back!

Look-alike

Credit: staticg.sportskeeda.com

I almost hate to do this, but…Kyrie Irving. And, if it helps, he has since renounced his belief that the earth is flat!

Career Highlights

Prior to 2022, Bowens had compiled 17 catches for 179 yards and no touchdowns. However, he had a bit of a breakout last season, catching 32 balls for 462 yards and four scores. Those numbers more than doubled his career yardage to that point and were achieved via a career 14.4 yards per catch.

Also, if interested, his high school highlights can be viewed here.

2023 Prospectus

Bowens is the leading returning receiver for the Broncos with Caples out for the season. While Boise State has a lot of very talented receivers at its disposal, Bowens was mentioned a lot last offseason as someone that was on the verge of a breakout. While he did the most with his opportunities to deliver on that somewhat, he was a bit limited in the earlier part of the season as the offense hit some snags and then temporarily transitioned to an extremely run-heavy scheme. Look for Bowens to again be prominently featured in the passing game and be one of the leading receivers in Bush Hamdan’s offense.

Is he on Twitter?

Yes.

Completely made up fact

Bowens already secretly made a fortune via Dogecoin two years ago, so he’s playing football purely out of love for the game.

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