Billy Bowman Jr attended Billy Ryan High School in Denton, Texas. He played defensive back and wide receiver and as a senior, he had 86 receptions for 1,207 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was selected to play in the 2021 Under Armour All-America Game. Bowman originally committed to play college football at the University of Texas before switching to the University of Oklahoma.
Bowman played 11 games as a freshman in a reserve role and tallied 22 tackles, two tackles for a loss and one forced fumble. In 2022, he played in 11 games with nine starts and recorded 60 tackles and three interceptions for the Sooners.
Bowman became a household name in the Big 12 during his junior season. He led the conference in interceptions with six and returned three of those for a touchdown. After the season, he received All-Big 12 honorable mention.