Junior wide receiver Jarod Bowie of the Concord University football team has been named as a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given to the nation's top Division II player, The Little Rock Touchdown Club announced Thursday morning.
The other eight finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy include the 2021 winner, Tyson Bagent (Shepherd, quarterback), as well as Brandon Alt (Bemidji State, quarterback), Mario Anderson (Newberry, running back), Jada Byers (Virginia Union, running back), TJ Cole (Ouachita Baptist, running back), TJ Davis (Nebraska-Kearney, quarterback), John Matocha (Colorado Mines, quarterback) and Caleb Murphy (Ferris State, defensive lineman).
Bowie becomes the first Concord player to be named a Harlon Hill finalist, and the first from the Mountain East Conference since Shepherd quarterback Connor Jessop in 2017.
With the national playoffs down to the quarterfinal round, Bowie leads Division II in receptions (102) and receiving yards (1,773) while he ranks second in touchdowns (18). The Martinsburg, West Virginia native collected five games of at least 200 receiving yards and had five straight contests of at least two touchdowns from October 15-November 5. Bowie ended the year with three consecutive 200-yard games.
Bowie broke the MEC record for single-season receiving yards, previously set by Shepherd's Billy Brown at 1,580 yards in 2016. Bowie's 18 touchdowns were the second most in MEC history for a single season.
With Bowie's name appearing as a finalist, it marks the fifth consecutive year that a wide receiver is among the final nominees for the Harlon Hill Trophy.
The top vote getter from an MEC school in Harlon Hill Trophy balloting was West Liberty quarterback Zach Amedro who finished as the runner-up in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010.
Last year, Bagent won the Harlon Hill Trophy with 169 points while Davis finished with 105. Alt is also a returner to the ballot after finishing fifth last fall.
The Harlon Hill Trophy Winner will be announced December 16. The winner will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club Awards Banquet January 13, 2023.
The Hill Trophy is named for the late Harlon Hill - the former University of North Alabama standout - who excelled with the Lions from 1950-53 before going on to fame in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears.
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