Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) head football coach Travis Bush announced on Monday the hiring of Jeff Bowen, who spent the last four seasons as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Northeastern State,to be the first offensive line coach in program history.
Bush and Bowen previously worked together during UTSA’s inaugural season in 2011, when Bush was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and Bowen was a graduate assistant working with the offensive line and tight ends.
Bush was also part of the coaching staff at Texas State when Bowen was an offensive lineman from 2006-08. Bush was the wide receivers coach in 2006 before being promoted to associate head coach/co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the next three seasons.
Together, Bush and Bowen helped Texas State to rank fifth in the FCS in total offense and fourth in scoring offense in 2008.
“Two words describe Jeff Bowen: ‘Texas tough,’” Bush said. “Jeff may be the toughest person I’ve ever met. I watched Jeff walk on our team at Texas State as an undersized center. Not only did he earn the starting job and a scholarship, but Jeff was an FCS All-American while anchoring one of the top offenses in the country. Not many people know, but Jeff played half the season with a broken snapping hand and slipped discs in his back, and he never missed a snap. I want to be on Jeff’s team no matter where we’re at. We hired him at UTSA right out of college and we’re excited to hire him again. It’s been amazing to watch his progress as a coach throughout the years, working his way up to be a coordinator. He coaches exactly the way he played: tough. If you’re an offensive lineman, you want to come play for this guy.”
Bowen has significant prior Division I experience, including as the tight ends coach at Stephen F. Austin in 2018, the offensive line coach at Northwestern State in 2017, the tight ends and assistant offensive line coach at Northwestern State from 2014-15, and as a graduate assistant at UTSA from 2011-13 and Texas State in 2010. Bowen also served as the offensive line coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College in 2016. Throughout his career, Bowen has been responsible for recruiting areas including the DFW metroplex, Central Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa.
During the 2017 season, Bowen helped the Northwestern State offense improve in both total offense and scoring offense, leading to a four-win improvement from their 2016 campaign.
While at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Bowen saw four of his five sophomore offensive linemen sign with FBS teams. He tutored first-team all-conference linemen Larry Joubert and Sammy Bernard as well as honorable mention all-conference selections Davis Harker and Kris’Sean Edwards. Joubert signed with Oklahoma State, Bernard with New Mexico, and Harker and Edwards earned scholarships at New Mexico State. Bowen’s offensive line helped the Golden Norse average 40 points and 530 yards of total offense per game in 2016, increasing their scoring by a touchdown and upping their yardage by more than 130 yards per game.
Bowen was an integral part of Northwestern State setting a multitude of single-season program records on offense in 2014. He assisted in building an offensive line that helped Northwestern State accumulate a school-record 4,948 yards of total offense, while setting additional single-season marks for first downs (274), first downs through the air (140), completions (262), completion percentage (67.2) and passing yardage (2,864).
Bowen served as a graduate assistant for the offensive line and tight ends during UTSA’s first three seasons of competition (2011-13). Bowen helped UTSA to an 8-4 overall record and a 3-3 mark in the Western Athletic Conference in the program’s second season of existence in 2012. The campaign was highlighted by historic wins against South Alabama, the program’s first road and FBS victory, and New Mexico State, its first conference win. The offense averaged 31.2 points and 390.2 yards per game as the offensive line paved the way for 1,911 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground, allowing just seven sacks in 368 passing attempts. Bowen worked directly with offensive guard Scott Inskeep, who earned All-WAC Second Team honors.
Bowen started his coaching career as a graduate assistant and interior offensive line coach at Texas State in 2010 and was responsible for both the centers and guards.
“I’m very excited to move to the Valley and have the chance to make history here,” Bowen said “It’s a huge blessing to not only be a part of this, but get to work with Coach Bush again, someone who I know is an incredible leader. We’re going to do something special here and #RallyTheValley behind a program of which everyone can be proud.”
A native of North Richland Hills, Texas, Bowen was an offensive lineman at Texas State from 2006-08. As a senior, Bowen earned All-Southland First Team and honorable mention FCS All-American accolades while also earning the Bobcats’ John O’Hara Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award. Additionally, he was a member of the Southland Commissioner’s Honor Roll in both 2007 and 2008.
Bowen began his collegiate football career at East Texas Baptist University where he was named team captain as a sophomore in 2005.
As a prep player, Bowen was a three-year letter winner at Birdville High School near Fort Worth. A two-year team captain, he earned first-team all-district honors as a senior and was an honorable mention selection as a junior.
Bowen graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas State in 2008 before earning a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from UTSA in 2013.
