Oregon lands two five-star recruits, including longtime Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen

Oregon may have lost five-star quarterback Dante Moore to UCLA, but the Ducks were able to add two other five-star recruits to their 2023 class on Wednesday.

In the span of about 10 minutes, safety Peyton Bowen and defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei both committed to the Ducks. Bowen is ranked No. 10 nationally in 2023 by Rivals.com while Uiagalelei comes in at No. 18.

Bowen was the much bigger surprise of the two.

Bowen, a native of Denton, Texas, has been committed to Notre Dame for nearly a year but he announced for Oregon on Wednesday.

To play up the surprise, Bowen pulled the classic signing day fake-out, putting on the Notre Dame hat before switching to the Oregon hat.

Despite his verbal commitment to Notre Dame, Bowen had taken multiple visits to other schools throughout the year — particularly Oklahoma and Texas A&M. In fact, many thought if Bowen flipped his commitment it would be to Oklahoma.

But in the end, Dan Lanning and the Oregon staff won out in his recruitment.

From Rivals.com’s Nick Harris:

It’s a big win for the Ducks as the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Bowen is considered the second-best player from Texas and the second-best safety in the 2023 class, according to Rivals.

“During his senior season, Bowen found just about every way to affect the game from the safety position, whether it be forcing and returning fumbles, creating scoring opportunities off of long interception returns — or just downright scoring himself — or making impact plays in the return game,” Harris wrote. “His IQ from the defensive backfield allows him to see everything happening in front of him at a moment’s notice, and his reaction timing puts him in the list of the most dangerous defenders I have ever personally covered.”

Oregon beats out USC, Ohio State for Uiagalelei

Uiagalelei’s commitment was also a huge win for Oregon, who beat out USC and Ohio State to ultimately land the California prospect.

According to Rivals.com’s Adam Gorney, Uiagalelei was long considered an Ohio State lean. Later on, USC seemed like the favorite until he eventually picked the Ducks.

"I really like the coaches, and seeing where the program is going to go. I think they’re only going to go up,” Uiagalelei told Rivals. “It’s pretty cool to see the guys that are being recruited and see the guys that are already there, and how they are adjusting to the new coaches and how they like the new coaches.”

Uiagalelei, the brother of former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (who is currently in the transfer portal), comes in at No. 18 nationally and is ranked as the third-best player in California and the third-best weak-side defensive end in his class.

Oregon also flips QB from Baylor, CB from LSU

Bowen wasn’t the only coveted prospect to flip to Oregon on Wednesday. Oregon also added a quarterback and a cornerback who were committed elsewhere.

The Ducks pivoted quickly at QB after losing Moore to UCLA and were able to sign Austin Novosad, a top 100 recruit from Dripping Springs, Texas.

Novosad had previously been committed to Baylor and stayed committed to BU despite taking visits to schools like Ohio State, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. When it became clear Moore wasn’t going to end up in Oregon’s class, the Ducks’ coaching staff made a late push. Novosad quietly visited Eugene over the weekend and ultimately signed with Oregon on Wednesday morning.

Later Wednesday, Daylen Austin announced his commitment to Oregon. Austin, a four-star cornerback from California, previously committed to LSU back in May. Instead of playing in the SEC, he decided to stay on the West Coast.

With Novosad, Austin, Bowen and Uiagalelei in the class, Oregon is up to No. 8 in the Rivals team rankings.

And the Ducks may not be finished.