USC Recruit Expected to Receive NIL Deal Worth More Than Pro Bowl Tight End

USC Recruit Expected to Receive NIL Deal Worth More Than Pro Bowl Tight End originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

There's no doubt that in this age of college football, the ability to hand out large name, image and likeness (NIL) contracts is what can separate some of the best teams from the worst.

That has become evident when it comes to the 2026 recruiting class, and one team that's taking full advantage is the USC Trojans, who have landed a total of 31 commitments and rank No. 1 in the nation.

One of the biggest additions to that group is tight end Mark Bowman, who chose the Trojans over other powerhouses such as the Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide and Texas Longhorns.

It came at quite the cost, though, because in an article from On3's Pete Nakos, he wrote, "Sources have told On3 that Bowman’s total deal value is between $5 and $6.5 million over three years."

That's a tremendous amount of money and becomes more mind-boggling considering that he would earn a deal with a higher total value than Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson, who made the Pro Bowl in 2023. Ferguson is on a four-year $4.3 million rookie deal.

Of course, this kind of deal could certainly pay off for USC, as Rivals Industry Rankings place Bowman as a five-star recruit, the No. 1 tight end, the No. 2 player in California and the No. 15 player in the nation.

If the deal reached the $6.5 million mark, Bowman would earn $2.1 million annually, which compares to On3's NIL valuations of other star players such as Nebraska's Dylan Raiola, UCLA's Nico Iamaleava and Auburn's Jackson Arnold, who are all between $2 to $2.3 million.

If this kind of deal did get worked out between the two parties, and Bowman doesn't produce at USC, then this could be viewed as one of the biggest NIL flops in college football history up to this point.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.