How Big of a Step Could Oklahoma DB Peyton Bowen Take in 2026?

Peyton Bowen is entering his senior year with serious momentum.

Bowen, who has played 1,436 defensive snaps over his first three seasons in Norman, logged his best campaign in 2025.

The safety recorded 47 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions and a tackle for loss en route to earning Second Team All-SEC honors. Bowen’s 78.6 Pro Football Focus (PFF) defensive grade ranked third among OU defenders who appeared on more than 100 snaps, and both of the players in front of him — R Mason Thomas and Gracen Halton — are now on NFL rosters.

After such a superb season, what’s the next step for Bowen?

Bowen’s 2026 role

His role, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will be largely the same as it was in 2025.

For the first time in his career, Bowen started all 13 games at strong safety. He started seven games over his first two seasons, but Bowen largely played behind Billy Bowman Jr., who now plays for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

Oklahoma’s defense was exceptional, and Bowen’s production was a key reason why. The unit should be similarly strong in 2026, and if Bowen puts up a similar stat line, that would be massive.

But if Bowen could take even a small step forward, OU’s secondary would be among college football’s best.

Bowman’s best season came in 2023, when he earned CBS Sports First Team All-American honors in addition to his selection to the All-Big 12 First Team. The former Sooner safety ended that campaign with 64 tackles, six interceptions, four pass breakups and three tackles for loss.

There’s no reason to believe that Bowen — who stands 6-0 and weighs 203 pounds — can’t post a similarly dominant campaign as a senior in 2026.

Veteran presence

Bowen was an upperclassman in 2025, but now he’s the “old guy” in OU’s safety room.

Last year, he played alongside Robert Spears-Jennings, who played 589 snaps at free safety. Now, Bowen will likely play on the opposite side of free safety and incoming junior Michael Boganowski, who played a significant reserve role in 2025.

Boganowski has appeared in 26 games over his first two seasons, but he has only started once. The safety notched 31 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack while primarily backing up Spears-Jennings last year.

Per OU coach Brent Venables, Bowen and Boganowski have built a chemistry that should allow both of them to flourish in 2026.

“(They) picked up where they left off from,” Venables said in April. “You can see their experience really shows up. There's a calmness when they're on the field; (I’m) excited about them.”

Behind Bowen and Boganowski will be Omarion Robinson, who played sparingly as a true freshman in 2025. Reggie Powers III is another member of the safety room, but he’s more likely to play at the cheetah spot, which is a hybrid position that combines the duties of a linebacker and a defensive back.

Bowen, of course, hopes to one-up his impressive 2025 campaign. But more importantly, he hopes to feel comfortable being a veteran presence that elevates the entire secondary.

“These guys actually look up to me — it’s a little weird,” Bowen said in the spring. “I don’t think they see me as the old head, I hope, but as just the leader.”

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