After months of rumors and speculation about his college destination, the Peyton Bowen recruiting saga has finally ended after a whirlwind of 24 hours.
Bowen, a five-star safety from Denton Guyer, ranked the No.14 overall recruit in the nation by 247Sports, will officially be joining the Oklahoma Sooners.
His commitment to Oklahoma came a day after he flipped from Notre Dame and appeared to sign to Oregon.
Bowen had been committed to Notre Dame since January, but reports had emerged that Oklahoma and Oregon had become possible destinations for the blue-chip prospect.
On Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period, he appeared to end his recruitment by signing a letter of intent (LOI) to play college ball at Oregon.
However, though he signed the LOI to Oregon, Bowen never officially faxed it to the school, a foreshadowing that he was still mulling over his decision.
The senior safety officially ended the saga as he announced his Oklahoma signing on Instagram and Twitter Thursday afternoon.
“Oklahoma has always felt like home to me,” Bowen said in the social media post. “Reflecting, it seems as if I was always looking for a reason to branch out and break away from home. But my relationships with Coach Venables, Coach Bates, Coach Valai, Coach Hall, and Coach Chavis, along with my ties to friends and family locally, ultimately led me back to where I belonged.”
The 6-foot 185-pound safety will join his high school teammate, five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold, in Norman. Arnold is the No.7 recruit in the country in the 2023 class, per 247Sports.
“As I reflect on yesterday’s whirlwind, I recognize I made some mistakes that I regret and will learn from,” Bowen continued in the social media post. “Navigating this process has been a rollercoaster.”
Bowen is Oklahoma’s highest-ranked defensive back signee in the modern recruiting era, according to 247Sports.
In his last two seasons at Guyer, Bowen totaled eight kick/punt return touchdowns, three defensive touchdowns, and three receiving touchdowns. His team went 28-3 in his junior and senior seasons.
Bowen’s younger brother Eli, a four-star junior cornerback, also holds a scholarship offer from Oklahoma.
Peyton Bowen is the fourth Dallas-area prospect in the Sooners’ 2023 class. The others are Arnold, Crandall four-star linebacker Samuel Omosigho, and Denton Ryan running back Kalib Hicks.
With the addition of Bowen, the Sooners’ 2023 class jumped from No.8 to No.5 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings.
A top-five class in Brent Venables’ first complete recruiting cycle as Oklahoma’s head coach is a huge win.
Oklahoma’s No.5 class is the second-highest-ranked class among area colleges.
Texas’ class sits at No.3, behind Alabama and Georgia. Arch Manning — the nation’s No.1 prospect — is the crown jewel of the Texas class, but the Longhorns have picked up some big-time signings since the early signing period began.
On Wednesday, Texas beat out Oklahoma for the signature of four-star pass rusher Tausili Akana from Utah, who is just outside the five-star range as the No.34 overall prospect per 247Sports.
The Longhorns look to have a top-tier defense set up for their future in the SEC. Akana is joining a class that includes five-star linebacker Anthony Hill of Denton Ryan and four-star defensive ends Colton Vasek of Austin Westlake and Derion Gullette out of Teague, Texas.
Texas also held onto four-star New Iberia (LA) safety Derek Williams, as LSU was reportedly working to flip him down the stretch. LSU usually has its pick of the best prospects in Louisiana.
On Thursday, the Longhorns secured the signature of four-star St. John Bosco (CA) wide receiver DeAndre Moore, who was committed to Louisville.
After Texas and Oklahoma, Texas A&M has the best class among area colleges, with its class checking in at No.13 in the nation. Two five-stars highlight the Aggies’ class in Katy Paetow (TX) defensive lineman David Hicks and El Campo (TX) running back Rueben Owens.
TCU follows Texas A&M among area colleges with the No.19 overall class. The Horned Frogs’ top-20 class features 12 four-star recruits, highlighted by DFW recruits Markis Deal from Garland Naaman Forest and Cordale Russell of North Mesquite.
All other area colleges have classes ranked outside the top 20, with Texas Tech (No.27), Baylor (No.32), and Oklahoma State (No.39) carrying the next highest-ranked classes.
Baylor’s class ranking tumbled from No.24 before the opening of the early signing period with the significant loss of four-star Dripping Springs, Texas quarterback Austin Novosad, who was committed to Baylor but flipped and signed with Oregon on Wednesday.
