The craziest story of the week in recruiting helped USC, hurt Oregon, and came by way of Oklahoma
This plot would make a soap opera seem tame and uncomplicated by comparison.
Peyton Bowen of Guyer HS (Denton, Texas) is a consensus top-60 national recruit who is rated No. 10 overall by Rivals, No. 13 by On3, No. 14 by ESPN, and No. 52 by 247Sports. He is ranked as the No. 2 safety in the class by ESPN, On3 and Rivals and No. 3 by 247Sports.
A 2022 Under Armour All-American, he is regarded as the No. 2 player in the state of Texas by ESPN, On3 and Rivals, and No. 3 by 247Sports.
Bowen registered more than 200 tackles over his sophomore through senior seasons to go with 12 interceptions and 23 pass breakups. He earned district MVP honors as a senior, when he helped Guyer to a 14-1 record and state semifinal appearance.
Bowen’s flip from the Fighting Irish to the Ducks during a ceremony at his high school in Denton, Texas, was one of the biggest stories on Wednesday as college football’s three-day early signing period began. He was one of several high-profile recruits to make a last-minute pivot to Oregon.
Our friends at Ducks Wire covered Bowen’s commitment to Oregon. Here’s proof. This seemed to be a done deal.
Under 24 hours later, our friends at Sooners Wire were welcoming Bowen to Oklahoma. What?! Wait a minute.
Yep, it really did happen:
Oklahoma later announced Bowen had signed with the school.
Congrats to Peyton Bowen for making the greatest decision of his life, joining high school teammate (and QB) Jackson Arnold at Oklahoma. National championship here you come. Lincoln Riley would never have been able to recruit YOU, Peyton. He doesn't really care about defense.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 23, 2022
BREAKING: Five-Star Safety Peyton Bowen has flipped his commitment from Oregon to Oklahoma!
The No. 13 Player in the ‘23 Class committed to Oregon yesterday, but never signed.
One of the craziest recruitments has now come to an end ✍️https://t.co/WrNz3mGsX5 pic.twitter.com/zp6YyBtNuP
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 22, 2022
Five-star safety Peyton Bowen:
—decommitted from Notre Dame
—committed to Oregon
—decommitted from Oregon
—committed to Oklahomain a span of 24 hours.
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) December 22, 2022
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables had this to say on Peyton Bowen:
“He’s an incredibly versatile athlete and weapon both in the return game and in the secondary. He is part of an elite group of seven defensive backs in our class that rivals any in the country.”
Peyton Bowen’s career as an Oregon Duck was even shorter than George O’Leary’s tenure as Notre Dame head coach.
The Ducks won the early signing period, but this was one fish — or duck — which got away. USC will take the good news by way of Oklahoma. How’s that for a pre-Christmas plot twist?
