Steubenville’s Cole Bowers signed his NCAA National Letter of Intent Friday morning inside the high school commons. He will continue his academic and athletic careers at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. Pictured, front row from left, are Brynn Bowers (sister), Greg Bowers (father), Cole, Melissa Bowers (mother) and Landon Bowers (brother). Back row from left, are Steubenville Athletic Director John Arlesic; Ian Phillips, Phillips Kicking Academy; Steubenville assistant football coach Justin Banks; Steubenville head football coach Reno Saccoccia; Steubenville assistant football coach Anthony Pompa; and Bill Phillips, Phillips Kicking Academy.

STEUBENVILLE – Friday morning was a special day for Steubenville’s Cole Bowers.

The Big Red senior, surrounded by family, friends, coaches, teammates, classmates and friends, made it official when he signed his NCAA National Letter of Intent to continue his academic and athletic careers at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

“This means everything to me. I just want to thank God because he has put me into some unbelievable positions,” Bowers said inside the Steubenville High School Commons. “He’s given me a great supporting cast. I’ve had great coaches. This isn’t just me, it was everyone.

“It’s a relief. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking a lot about it the past few days. It’s what I wanted to do and it’s what my family wants me to do.”

A placekicker at Steubenville, the strong-legged Bowers is ranked 40th in ESPN’s Class of 2026 Top Kickers in the nation. His top moment came not too long ago in the Ohio Division III playoffs at undefeated Licking Valley.

His 47-yard walk-off field goal lifted Big Red to a thrill-packed, 17-14, victory.

“It was a crazy kick,” Bowers recalled. “But, I wouldn’t have been there without my teammates. Juice (Ca’Juan Bryant) made an unbelievable run before that to tie the game to put me in that position. I just did what we do in practice every day.”

In addition to Army, Bowers also looked at Ohio State, Coastal Carolina, Akron, Michigan State and Penn State, but the decision was made easier when Army told him the truth.

“The recruiting process is crazy nowadays. There’s a lot of lies … a lot of unfaithfulness out there, but, at the end of the day, Army was always honest with me. I loved the school and I kept my commitment.

“It’s an honor. Not just to my family, but everyone around,” he admitted. “I get walked up to now by random people congratulating me. It’s truly an honor.”

Bowers is a rare 4-sport standout as he earned first team honors in soccer, plays basketball and baseball. He became Steubenville’s all-time goal scorer this season in soccer.

“It’s hard to leave soccer, but I really enjoyed it because I got to play with my brother (Landon) and for my dad (Greg) who was my coach,” Bowers noted. “It wasn’t as much playing the game, but being able to do it with my family, brother and father.”

He plans to major in Bio-Chemistry with hopes of being an Orthopaedic surgeon in future.

Bowers is the son of Greg and Melissa Bowers. His had a younger brother, Landon, and a younger sister, Brynn.