Dan Hurley Lands Coveted 5-Star Guard, Son of Former 49ers Star

Sep 10, 2026 at 01:43 PM EDT

Dan Hurley is looking to get the UConn Huskies back to the top of the mountain. After back-to-back national championships, Hurley's Huskies bowed out in the Round of 32 in 2025, then lost to Michigan in last season's championship game. Ready to reclaim their title as college basketball's premier program, they took a major step in that direction on Thursday, landing five-star point guard NaVorro Bowman Jr.

Any NFL fan will immediately recognize that name as the son of former San Francisco 49ers star linebacker NaVorro Bowman. Bowman spent eight seasons in the league, earning first-team All-Pro honors four times and three Pro Bowl nods, while helping the 49ers reach multiple NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl. Now his son is looking to carve out his own legacy on the hardwood.

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Bowman Jr. isn't just the son of one of the most feared NFL linebackers of the last decade — he's also one of the most coveted recruits in the country. He's the No. 2-ranked combo guard, the top-ranked player in the state of California, and the No. 11 overall player in the nation, according to 247Sports.

He was a member of the U.S. under-17 national team this year and impressed throughout his EYBL season, averaging 20.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting around 42% from the field and 33% from three. He's a physical, athletic 6-foot-3 combo guard with the tools a program like UConn can build around.

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Hurley is no stranger to developing elite backcourt talent, either. He's recently sent players like Stephon Castle, Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer to the NBA, and currently has two more potential future draft picks on the roster in Solomon Ball and Braylon Mullins.

Bowman Jr. will arrive right as those two players fade out, giving Hurley another cornerstone guard to build around. Bowman chose the Huskies over more than two dozen other top programs, including Illinois, Texas, and Arizona.