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Bowen's rollercoaster worth it

It’s going to take some time, but it’s going to come. Eventually, the first thing said about safety Peyton Bowen will have nothing to with a 24-hour whirlwind no Oklahoma, Oregon or Notre Dame recruiting fan will ever forget.

Eventually.

Bowen, of course, was committed to Notre Dame for nearly a year before pulling out an Oregon hat on the initial day of the early signing period last month.

He never turned in a letter of intent, thought about it and flipped and signed with the Sooners the very next day.

The ultimate win for head coach Brent Venables and the defensive staff.

“I am really proud of Peyton and his family,” said Venables last month. “As you all know covering student-athletes and watching their journey, these life-changing decisions are never necessarily an easy thing and quite a journey for Peyton and his family. I am incredibly proud that he chose the Sooners, and they are just wonderful people.”

Bowen was a borderline five-star prospect heading into his senior season and erased all doubts following an incredibly impressive senior season. Be it defense, offense or special teams, Bowen found a way to impact the game every single week.

It might be an interception one week or a kick return the next or a blocked kick another time or a crucial tackle, Bowen can do it all and did.

He rose up to five-star status in the fall and wouldn’t be denied. Bowen finishes at No. 12 overall as one of three OU three five-star signees, joining quarterback Jackson Arnold (No. 23) and defensive end P.J. Adebawore. Bowen is the highest-ranked Sooner in the 2023 class, and at one time, was ranked No. 10 overall.

“Peyton brings a tremendous skill set, dynamics, instincts, speed, just great, great instincts, natural feel for the game,” Venables said. “He is a winner. Comes from one of the best high school programs in the country. He is going to bring a wealth of experience playing at a very high level from a competition standpoint. He is a humble, hardworking guy.”

All three are among the 14 mid-year enrollees that arrived at OU earlier this month. The Sooners simply never backed away.

Whereas Adebawore and Arnold were committed long before the 2022 season, Bowen wasn’t. And with the unevenness of OU’s season, you had no idea how serious Bowen’s interest was with the Sooners.

Venables never let up. Safeties coach Brandon Hall was always there. They recognized Bowen’s ability to be a defensive game-changer. They were going to go down with it until the bitter end, but this story had a happy ending for the Sooners.

All the twists and turns, ebbs and flows, all is well that ends well.

“It can be a very strenuous, long process, and it literally is a race,” Venables said. “You want to run the race to win. Winning is what it is about, but you have to run those races with endurance. That is nothing more, nothing less.

“Just really excited to add another dynamic piece to what we are trying to build on both sides of the ball, but obviously Peyton in the return game and on defense, in particular.”

A lot of people are curious as to how quickly Bowen can adjust to the college game. OU has some experienced safeties like Key Lawrence and Billy Bowman. The Sooners brought in another in Reggie Pearson (Texas Tech), and Robert Spears-Jennings got his feet wet last year.

Now here comes Bowen. You can tell he’s glad to put the past in the past. The next set of questions will not have nearly as much about his recruitment but about what he’s doing in Norman. If he can be that player he was at Denton Guyer, his story is only just beginning.

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