In December 2022, the Oklahoma Sooners staff and fan base sat in anticipation to see where five-star safety [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] would end up. At the time, Bowen was committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but the rumors ahead of commitment day were he was going to flip to the Sooners.
Instead, Bowen shocked the nation by picking the Oregon Ducks. As the next day went by, you started hearing reports of issues with his National Letter of Intent to Oregon, and the Oklahoma buzz returned.
Ultimately Bowen signed with the Sooners. Since then, the expectations have been high for Bowen. Oklahoma isn’t used to getting five-star defensive players, especially at defensive back. Bowen even mentioned wanting to be a freshman All-American.
Bowen has lived up to that hype and then some. He has 23 tackles, four pass deflections, two blocked punts and a forced fumble. Bowen was named a midseason freshman All-American by On3.
Peyton Bowen has proven to be an impact player in his first season at Oklahoma. I think he came into college with those expectations. Bowen has played fewer snaps than some of the other defensive backs on this midseason true freshman All-American team, but has made a significant impact in his opportunities to this point. He’s played 190 snaps for Brent Venables‘ defense, tallying 23 tackles and four pass breakups. We’ve seen Bowen look really strong in coverage. He’s been able to stick with receiver and make some key plays. Had a huge play in the Red River Rivalry this week with a big hit on Quinn Ewers jarring the ball loose and a fumble that was recovered by the Sooners, a key play. He’s also made plays on special teams. – Charles Power On3
That forced fumble in the biggest game of the year was just another sign of how the moment isn’t too big for him. We see every year freshmen struggle in big moments. It’s understandable because of their lack of experience. But not Bowen. He was great in that game.
With Bowen playing the way he is and seeing how bright his future can be, it makes those wild couple of days in December all worth it.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.