1st Bowman® Cards to Collect
Spice up your collection with 2023 Topps Bowman U Chrome Football, flaunting Heisman hopefuls and college football’s blazing stars. There’s a thrill in snagging a 1st Bowman of a college dynamo before they shake hands with Rodger Goddell. Today’s Saturday standouts might be setting your Sundays on fire before you know it. Let’s check out some of the top 1st Bowman cards in this year’s edition.
Top 1st Bowman Cards #s 5-1
5: 2023 Bowman U Chrome #74 Malik Nabers
While LSU watched its national title aspirations crumble this past weekend, Nabers remains a shining star, torching defensive backs with elite speed and deft rout-running. The junior stands tall as the nation’s second-leading receiver with 625 yards while ranking fifth in catches with 40. While furthering the legacy of LSU’s famed “Wide Receiver U,” Nabers looks poised to follow in the illustrious footsteps of “WRU” predecessors like Odell Beckham Jr., Ja’Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson.
4: 2023 Bowman Chrome U #200 Drake Maye
Remember Luke Maye, the double-double machine who helped North Carolina win a hoops national championship in 2017? Well, meet his younger brother, Drake. While Drake opted for connecting with receivers over pulling down rebounds, he’s making a splash in Chapel Hill. While drawing parallels to NFL standout Justin Herbert, Maye’s cemented his place alongside the likes of collegiate legends Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson, Marcus Mariota, Johnny Manziel, and Robert Griffin—being one of just six players since 2010 to notch 4,000 passing yards, 35 passing TDs, 650 rushing yards, and seven rushing TDs in a single season, which the signal-caller achieved in 2022. A projected top-five pick for 2024, Maye validates that status every time the tape’s turned on.
3: 2023 Bowman U Chrome #36 Travis Hunter
Hunter’s only been in the FBS spotlight a bit over two games. Yet, when you utter his name, it rightfully resonates alongside legends like Champ Bailey, Chris Gamble, Jim Thorpe, Charles Woodson, and yes, even his coach, Deion Sanders. In Colorado’s first two triumphant match-ups, Hunter clocked an astounding 274 snaps: 136 defensively and 129 offensively. And he wasn’t just present; he dominated. During his FBS debut against TCU, the dual-threat dynamo delivered what many consider one of the best individual college performances ever, racking up 11 catches for 119 yards and topping it all off with a crucial interception, leading to the Buffaloes’ 45-42 upset win. Embodying the Kevin Gates’ mantra, “He doesn’t get tired,” Hunter is the crown jewel — or the Birkin, to use a luxe analogy — in the luxury luggage line Sanders introduced in Boulder. Keep an eye on him; he might be the No. 1 pick come 2025.
2: 2023 Bowman Chrome U #100 Marvin Harrison Jr.
We’ve yet to witness a Hall of Fame footballer whose offspring surpasses his prowess, but Marvin Harrison Jr. might be the pioneer in that area and surpass his dad, Colts receiver Marvin Harrison. Seriously. They’re calling the kid the greatest wide receiver prospect since Calvin “Megatron” Johnson, a guy some would put in their top five best receivers of all time. While that remains to be validated on Sundays, it’s not an outlandish notion. Standing tall at 6-foot-4 and boasting 4.3 speed, Harrison Jr.’s Baryshnikov-esque body control and hands that grip the pigskin like VELCRO® are unmatched. On Saturdays, he consistently decimates opposing secondaries, making light work of double coverages and accumulating 105 receptions for a whopping 1,738 yards and 20 touchdowns through his first 30 outings.
1: 2023 Bowman Chrome U #16 Shedeur Sanders
The days when Sanders was recognized as the pup from “Deion’s Family Playbook” are long gone. Now, he’s the Rolex-wristed, Rolls-Royce-gliding Big Dog, taking cues from the likes of Tom Brady while simultaneously drawing parallels in gameplay. Skeptics wondered how the Jackson State transfer would fare after transitioning from the SWAC to the ultra-competitive turf of the FBS. Need a response? His 1,781 passing yards — ranking second nationally — and his 15 touchdown passes, placing him fourth nationwide, all achieved with an outrageous 74.8% completion rate. Colorado’s turned things around in 2023, already surpassing their previous year’s victory tally and becoming the country’s most talked about and watched program in America. Credit a significant chunk of that success to Young Shadeur, a magnetic force engineering the CU train.
