It’s been quite the run for running back recruit CJ Cowley.
The class of 2027 four-star prospect helped Hoover (Ala.) Spain Park to the third round of the playoffs and his national profile has risen ever since. On Sunday he took home MVP honors among all running backs at the Under Armour All-America camp outside of Atlanta. In between, new scholarship offers have recently come in from the likes Oregon and Penn State.
The young back has made serious connections with each Big Ten coaching staff and even players from each program, including one fresh off of a Super Bowl run.
“I actually talked to Saquon Barkley a few times about Penn State,” Cowley said. “It was great, I’m not gonna lie I was a fanboy talking to one of the best running backs in the world. A Super Bowl running back.
“Saquon was just like if I go to Penn State, he’ll deliver 26 for me — the number. I didn’t believe it! The coach says he’s not lying. It’s one of the coolest moments in my life.”
Not to be outdone, the Ducks connection goes back to the Birmingham area Cowley resides near.
“I got my Oregon offer and immediately after, someone hit my phone,” he said. “They think I’ll be a great fit in that running back and wide receiver room. I FaceTimed with Tez Johnson, who started at Troy before going to Oregon.
“It just shows me how you can work to reach the point you want to be at.”
The Big Ten pair obviously are commanding attention with Cowley, sitting near the top of his list. But the current front runner lies within state lines in the Auburn Tigers. Hugh Freeze‘s program jumped in with an offer last spring and the attention hasn’t slowed.
“They just show it,” Cowley said of AU. “They show I’m a part of the Jordan-Hare family, they show that I’m a part of the War Eagle family. There’s a few players there who talk to me.
“It’s just like family over there.”
Despite the early top group and scholarship offer numbers approaching two dozen overall, Cowley is in no rush to end the recruiting process. He is in the process of planning offseason visits.
