NaVorro Bowman Jr commits to UConn: 5-star guard, son of 49ers All-Pro, gives Dan Hurley first 2027 pledge

Five-star combo guard NaVorro Bowman Jr. is heading to Storrs. The Notre Dame High School standout from Sherman Oaks, California, pledged to UConn on Thursday, giving Dan Hurley the first commitment in the Huskies’ 2027 class and the highest-ranked 2027 recruit to pick a school so far.

Bowman is the No. 11 player nationally in the 247Sports Composite, the No. 2 combo guard in the country and California’s top prospect. Notably, Bowman Jr. is the son of former San Francisco 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman, a four-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler.

Weekend visit flipped Arizona and Texas

Arizona and Texas had been the names most often tied to Bowman through the summer. Illinois, North Carolina and others were in the mix as well. UConn arrived later, then moved fast. Bowman took an official visit to campus last weekend and committed shortly after, cancelling later trips that had been lined up.

The pledge also keeps Hurley’s five-star pipeline open. Since 2023, the Huskies have landed Stephon Castle, Liam McNeeley and Braylon Mullins. Bowman is the fourth five-star in that stretch and the first piece of the 2027 class. Even with only one commit, UConn already sits No. 11 in the 247Sports team rankings for that cycle. The 2026 class finished 19th.

What the 6-foot-3 guard actually does

Bowman is listed around 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds. He is not a project. Last summer he averaged 20.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals on the Nike EYBL circuit. He then started for the United States at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey, posting 11.9 points and 3.6 assists as Team USA won an eighth straight gold medal.

247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein has called him “physical and functionally strong” and a “rapidly ascending guard who combines physicality, athleticism, playmaking, and shot-making.” The full evaluation is blunt about both the scoring and the growing pains:

That mix, size, contact, pull-up range, and improving playmaking - is why Hurley’s staff saw a fit even after offering later than some blue-blood programs.

NFL dad, basketball son

NaVorro Sr. played 99 NFL games, most of them in San Francisco, and later joined the Los Angeles Chargers as a linebackers coach. The younger Bowman has said the standard at home is simple. “He teaches me to play hard whenever I’m on the court,” he said of his father. “He wants me to be a point guard, defend, and try to win the game.”

UConn still has to fill out the rest of the 2027 class in a portal-heavy era. Landing the first five-star off the board, though, is the kind of opening Hurley wanted. Bowman now has two more high school seasons to grow into the role Storrs just sold him.