It’s probably an understatement to say that the collegiate career of Branden Bowen was full of ups and downs.
The big 6-foot-7, 315-pound Ohio State offensive lineman made a rare trek to Big Ten country in 2015 from Utah, where he starred at Corner Canyon High School. He redshirted in 2015 but then immediately started to make an impact in 2016. That continued into 2017 as he was named a starter, but just seven games into that season, he suffered a horrific leg injury.
Not only did that injury force him to miss the rest of the 2017 campaign, but he missed all of 2018 as well and underwent multiple surgeries over that time.
On the positive side, in July 2018 he got engaged, and his fiancee gave birth to a son in March 2019. A few months later, he graduated from Ohio State and, finally healthy last fall, he excelled as the Buckeyes had one of the best offensive lines in all of college football.