LYNCHBURG, VA - In the small college town of Lynchburg there is not much that changes week in and week out. The population of the city ebbs and flows with the year as students who attend Liberty University arrive for classes in the fall and leave for summer break just as the weather begins to turn nice out again. Not everyone who lives there is a visiting student though, and a few miles out of Lynchburg you will find a humble little horse farm tucked in between some of the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. From the outside it doesn't look like much but if you ask anyone around town they will tell you with a small puff of pride that that's the Bowie home. Now why would everyone in Lynchburg know who the Bowie's are? Why is it such common knowledge that they live just a few miles outside of town off of Mills Acre Drive? The answer is quite simple actually...Football.
Lynchburg may be a small town but the town is run by the local university, and everyone follows closely every season to see how the Liberty Flames are making out during the season. The program has come a long way since it achieved its first FBS bowl win when it defeated Georgia Southern in the Cure Bowl 23-16 all the way back in the 2019-2020 season. Now the Liberty University Flames are a mainstay top 25 program in the NCAA and consistently challenge for New Year 6 Bowls. The success of the program has meant that a higher caliber player has been attracted to Liberty and no one has been a higher caliber than recently graduated Senior, Maverick Bowie.
Unlike many of the best athletes coming out of high-school, Maverick's path was pretty much set. "There was only one place I was going to play ball coming out of high school" said a quietly confident Maverick as he took us for a walk around his family's horse farm. "I love it here. I've never really wanted to leave so when the offers came in, yeah I was thankful... But it wasn't going to change my decision." Bowie was a High-School All-American where he set the State Record in Virginia for interceptions with 24 in his senior season, surpassing Richard Bailey's mark of 23 that had stood since 1982. That season Bowie also led the LCA Bulldogs to a 10-0 record and the Division 3A State Championship. "That whole season was surreal, and I will always treasure it because it means so much to win something in your home-town." Bowie commented, "so when Liberty came calling I couldn't accept their offer quick enough." Bowie turned down multiple offers from Penn State, Tennessee, and even Ohio State, electing to stay in Lynchburg despite being listed in the ESPN Top 100 in 2033. "We couldn't believe we managed to get him" said long-time Liberty coach Hugh Freeze. "To bring such a talented player to our program is just a sign of how far we have come." Freeze is approaching 20 years as the head coach of the Flames and he was quite adamant that Bowie is one of the greatest young men he has ever coached.
It is no wonder that Coach Freeze spoke so highly of Bowie, because the honors just kept following the young man. He instantly made an impact in his freshman year for the Flames, earning him First Team Freshman-All American honors and helping lead Liberty to an 11-2 record and a victory in the Belk Bowl over state rival Virginia Tech. It was one of the best seasons in Liberty's history, and Bowie was a huge part of the success playing in every game and racking up 77 tackles and 3 interceptions for the Flames. Unfortunately injuries made it impossible for Bowie to repeat the success of his Freshman season as a sophomore as he missed 8 games due to a nagging knee injury. The Flames definitely missed Bowie in the center of the field as they only posted a 7-5 record that season. Despite this though, Bowie pushed through and was able to play and make an impact in the Celebration Bowl where he had a team high 12 tackles and took an interception back for a touchdown to lead the Flames to a 28-24 victory over New Mexico State. It was this display that led Freeze to make Bowie a captain for the Flames going into his Junior year. "I still remember that talk with coach" Bowie said with a smile. "He called me in and told me that I had a responsibility to take this team to the next level... Oh yeah, and before I left he told me to make sure I iced my knee."
Bowie's Junior season was a return to form as he once again achieved first-team all american honors with a career-high 80 tackles and a Liberty University record 5 interceptions. This led Liberty to a school record 12-1 season where they capped it all of with a 17-10 victory over Auburn in the Outback bowl, meaning they ended the season ranked 14th in the nation. It wasn't enough for Bowie and the Flames though, as they continued to chase that elusive undefeated season, something Liberty had never achieved in their program's history. Some would call it lucky, and other may even call it a fluke, but never say that around Maverick Bowie or any members of the 2036 Liberty Flames team because these young men all know just how hard they worked that season. "Last year was seriously a dream come true... To win with those guys... To see all of our hard work finally pay off like that... it... it was just the perfect ending to my time there."Bowie said. That season the Flames finally achieved their undefeated season, going 13-0 and finishing ranked 7th in the nation defeating USC in the Rose Bowl 27-13. Bowie racked up 85 tackles in his final season and also broke his own record grabbing 7 interceptions and obtaining First-team All- American honors for the final time in his career. "The stats, the records... All that is great but going undefeated in my last season here and ending my career with a win, will always be my biggest accomplishment here at Liberty." said Bowie.
A great college career and a reputation as a leader in the locker-room meant that a professional career was calling for the small-town local boy from Lynchburg, but a professional career meant finally leaving the place he had called home for the last 22 years of his life. "I'm excited but also scared if I am being honest, but I know it is time for me to try something new... And I can't wait for this next challenge." stated Bowie as he looked out over the mountains that had become so familiar to him over the years. Bowie will begin his professional career in Dallas, as the Birddogs were the first to give him a shot in the DSFL. Bowie will spend the first few weeks with Dallas as he prepares for the DSFL draft... the big city awaits.
Lynchburg may be a small town but the town is run by the local university, and everyone follows closely every season to see how the Liberty Flames are making out during the season. The program has come a long way since it achieved its first FBS bowl win when it defeated Georgia Southern in the Cure Bowl 23-16 all the way back in the 2019-2020 season. Now the Liberty University Flames are a mainstay top 25 program in the NCAA and consistently challenge for New Year 6 Bowls. The success of the program has meant that a higher caliber player has been attracted to Liberty and no one has been a higher caliber than recently graduated Senior, Maverick Bowie.
Unlike many of the best athletes coming out of high-school, Maverick's path was pretty much set. "There was only one place I was going to play ball coming out of high school" said a quietly confident Maverick as he took us for a walk around his family's horse farm. "I love it here. I've never really wanted to leave so when the offers came in, yeah I was thankful... But it wasn't going to change my decision." Bowie was a High-School All-American where he set the State Record in Virginia for interceptions with 24 in his senior season, surpassing Richard Bailey's mark of 23 that had stood since 1982. That season Bowie also led the LCA Bulldogs to a 10-0 record and the Division 3A State Championship. "That whole season was surreal, and I will always treasure it because it means so much to win something in your home-town." Bowie commented, "so when Liberty came calling I couldn't accept their offer quick enough." Bowie turned down multiple offers from Penn State, Tennessee, and even Ohio State, electing to stay in Lynchburg despite being listed in the ESPN Top 100 in 2033. "We couldn't believe we managed to get him" said long-time Liberty coach Hugh Freeze. "To bring such a talented player to our program is just a sign of how far we have come." Freeze is approaching 20 years as the head coach of the Flames and he was quite adamant that Bowie is one of the greatest young men he has ever coached.
It is no wonder that Coach Freeze spoke so highly of Bowie, because the honors just kept following the young man. He instantly made an impact in his freshman year for the Flames, earning him First Team Freshman-All American honors and helping lead Liberty to an 11-2 record and a victory in the Belk Bowl over state rival Virginia Tech. It was one of the best seasons in Liberty's history, and Bowie was a huge part of the success playing in every game and racking up 77 tackles and 3 interceptions for the Flames. Unfortunately injuries made it impossible for Bowie to repeat the success of his Freshman season as a sophomore as he missed 8 games due to a nagging knee injury. The Flames definitely missed Bowie in the center of the field as they only posted a 7-5 record that season. Despite this though, Bowie pushed through and was able to play and make an impact in the Celebration Bowl where he had a team high 12 tackles and took an interception back for a touchdown to lead the Flames to a 28-24 victory over New Mexico State. It was this display that led Freeze to make Bowie a captain for the Flames going into his Junior year. "I still remember that talk with coach" Bowie said with a smile. "He called me in and told me that I had a responsibility to take this team to the next level... Oh yeah, and before I left he told me to make sure I iced my knee."
Bowie's Junior season was a return to form as he once again achieved first-team all american honors with a career-high 80 tackles and a Liberty University record 5 interceptions. This led Liberty to a school record 12-1 season where they capped it all of with a 17-10 victory over Auburn in the Outback bowl, meaning they ended the season ranked 14th in the nation. It wasn't enough for Bowie and the Flames though, as they continued to chase that elusive undefeated season, something Liberty had never achieved in their program's history. Some would call it lucky, and other may even call it a fluke, but never say that around Maverick Bowie or any members of the 2036 Liberty Flames team because these young men all know just how hard they worked that season. "Last year was seriously a dream come true... To win with those guys... To see all of our hard work finally pay off like that... it... it was just the perfect ending to my time there."Bowie said. That season the Flames finally achieved their undefeated season, going 13-0 and finishing ranked 7th in the nation defeating USC in the Rose Bowl 27-13. Bowie racked up 85 tackles in his final season and also broke his own record grabbing 7 interceptions and obtaining First-team All- American honors for the final time in his career. "The stats, the records... All that is great but going undefeated in my last season here and ending my career with a win, will always be my biggest accomplishment here at Liberty." said Bowie.
A great college career and a reputation as a leader in the locker-room meant that a professional career was calling for the small-town local boy from Lynchburg, but a professional career meant finally leaving the place he had called home for the last 22 years of his life. "I'm excited but also scared if I am being honest, but I know it is time for me to try something new... And I can't wait for this next challenge." stated Bowie as he looked out over the mountains that had become so familiar to him over the years. Bowie will begin his professional career in Dallas, as the Birddogs were the first to give him a shot in the DSFL. Bowie will spend the first few weeks with Dallas as he prepares for the DSFL draft... the big city awaits.