5-Star Safety Peyton Bowen Commits to Oklahoma After Notre Dame, Oregon Pledges

Class of 2023 5-star safety Peyton Bowen raised some eyebrows when he flipped his commitment from Notre Dame to Oregon on Wednesday, but he made an even more surprising decision Thursday.

Bowen announced on social media that he has now committed to Oklahoma. He stated that after his commitment to the Ducks, he "immediately started to rethink my future."

A 6'0", 185-pound safety from John Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, Bowen is ranked as the No. 2 safety and No. 14 overall player in the 2023 class by 247Sports' composite rankings. In his announcement, he cited a desire to stay closer to home as part of his reason for joining the Sooners. He apologized to the fanbases of Oregon and Notre Dame, acknowledging that his decision-making process "could have been handled better."

247Sports recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks describes Bowen as a "sudden athlete with lateral mobility and great initial burst and acceleration" who can be "dangerous as a center fielder thanks to ability to cover territory and make plays on the ball." Bowen also competed in track and field at a high level during his high school career.

Brooks added that the two-sport athlete "projects a potential high-major impact player in the future with immediate special teams value and a long-term ceiling that could lead to the NFL draft."

Bowen's decommitment from Oregon is another loss for Ducks head coach Dan Lanning and his staff. 5-star quarterback Dante Moore, the No. 5 quarterback in his class, flipped from Oregon to UCLA earlier this week.

However, Oregon managed to sign 5-star edge-rusher Matayo Uiagalelei on Wednesday. He is the second 5-star recruit in the Ducks' 2023 class, joining wide receiver Jurrion Dickey.