How Oklahoma 5-Star Peyton Bowen Quieted Himself and Everyone Else to Pick OU
ORLANDO — Peyton Bowen knew there would be questions and criticisms. He just didn’t know what else to do.
So he did something he really didn’t want to.
Amid much fanfare, he committed to Oregon. A day later, under even more scrutiny, he flipped to Oklahoma.
Not that it’s never happened before, but 5-star high school football prospects just don’t take that kind of path to college.
One week later, while preparing for the Under Armour Next All-America Game, Bowen finally got a chance Thursday to clear the air. He said the whole thing was his fault, trying to please everyone instead of following his heart. He said his family influenced his decisions, but ultimately, where he played college football fell at his feet.
“I went into the week very indecisive just because there was a lot of things tying into my decision, obviously,” Bowen said. “So whenever I got down to it, I made the decision based off what I thought was best for me and my family at that certain time. I was kind of in that mindset of trying to please everyone. I was trying to please my brother, my mom, my dad. I was trying to do too many things and not think about my own — what I wanted.
“So whenever I got home that night, I kind of just thought about it and I was like, ‘What’s best for me? What’s best for me and not what’s best for everyone and not try to make everyone happy?’ And that’s where I kind of just where I went with that decision. But ultimately, it wasn’t too stressful for me. Like once I did it, I felt so much, like, happiness. I felt so good. Obviously I turned off instagram and Twitter. Like, I’m not gonna look at those. But I felt really happy with my decision. And I still do.”
Bowen, from Guyer High School in Denton, TX, had been verbally committed to Notre Dame since January. But verbal commitments are non-binding, and when rumors and reports began to trickle out that Bowen might be more interest in Oklahoma — his girlfriend was committed to play soccer for OU, and his best friend, Guyer quarterback Jackson Arnold, committed to OU shortly after Bowen committed to the Irish — Bowen began really exploring his relationship with the OU coaching staff.
Still, in recent weeks, Oregon began to make an effective push for Bowen’s services. So on National Signing Day — after in-home visits from all-three schools — Bowen infamously put a Notre Dame hat on, then replaced it with an Oregon hat.
“Yeah, that’s what the game plan was for a while,” Bowen said. “My dad was like, ‘You should go to Oregon,’ stuff like that. I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah. I see that.’ My little brother (4-star safety Eli Bowen), he was like, ‘That’s my dream school,’ stuff like that. So it was things like that that kind of tied in where I tried to make everyone happy. So was just like, ‘Yeah, I need to do it.’ ”
But Bowen said he “didn’t talk to much to Oregon. I was just kind of in my own space. I texted ‘em what I was thinking and stuff.”
Oklahoma had been the school in his heart, Bowen said. But that changed as signing day drew near.
“Yeah. My parents kind of turned down Oklahoma for me,” Bowen said. “Like a week or two before. So I was just like, ‘No, that’s off the table.’ But when it really got down to the time where I was struggling to make that decision, being super indecisive, my my mom was like, ‘OK, I think you should do this,’ and my dad was like, ‘I think the best fit would be Oklahoma.’”
Bowen was asked to expound on his parents’ involvement with removing OU from the equation.
“They were just like, ‘I don’t think this is the best decision for you,’ “ he said. “That was like a week before. It wasn’t like they were like, ‘No, we don’t like Oklahoma.’ It was more of a ‘We don’t think it’s the best; we think you should look at these.’”
He said the family didn’t call OU to give them the bad news, but rather just kept their feelings internalized. He also said he didn’t talk to Arnold about his signing day situation. Arnold said Thursday they didn’t need to talk about it because they’d already discussed OU plenty.
“The day (before) he signed, I talked to him for like an hour that night,” Arnold said. “Just walking through with him his thought process, what he wanted in a college, what he didn’t want in a college. And ultimately, Peyton decided what Peyton thought was best for him. Obviously, super happy. I have a roommate now. Super pumped that he joined us.”
Bowen followed his heart and flipped to Oklahoma. There were actually a multitude of reasons he decided to play for the Sooners, including the relationships he built with Brent Venables and defensive backs coach Jay Valai and Brandon Hall.
“I’d say the distance,” he said. “And I was a big Clemson fan growing up. Like, I had all Clemson stuff. And having Venables move to such a close location, where I can be close to family, my parents don’t have to struggle, having Eli’s game and then flying out the next morning to my game, that kind of tied into my decision. Having a close connection with Valai, who recruited me at Bama, Hall, from the day he called me, having a close relationship with him. And then obviously like, my relationship with my girlfriend and Jackson. But those are — like, I wouldn’t follow them just anywhere. I was considering the school already.”
On Thursday after committing to Oregon — but not sending in his signed National Letter of Intent — he had a good discussion with Venables, Valai and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.
“Just kind of talked it over with them,” Bowen said, “and found clarity.”
He said he knew he would be the big headline on National Signing Day, which he didn’t want. He also said if he could go back and do it all over again, he’d simply choose OU.
Ultimately, Bowen shut off social media, tuned out his family, spent some time with himself and figured things out.
“I just thought about it after — like, I was just sitting in my room. I got back from hanging out and I was just sitting in my room, and I was like, ‘This is my decision. It’s not anybody else’s. It’s not what they want. It’s what I think I want’ sort of thing. And I don’t want to blame — like, if I go somewhere and it was for my parents, then I’ll be blaming them for what happens, and I’d rather be blaming myself for the decision I made.
“I felt at peace. Like, I felt like I made a good decision. Even my dad said, he called me after and was like, ‘You actually enjoyed that decision. You sound way more happier than you were.’ ”
The Sooners wrapped up a disappointing season on Thursday night across town with a 35-32 loss to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl. OU fell to 6-7 on the year, their first losing season in 24 years.
Afterward, several OU assistant coaches described the incoming freshman class as “dogs” — the good kind, the kind that can change a college football program quickly by winning games.
For his part, Bowen is “very excited” to get to Norman in a couple of weeks and begin contributing to that change.
“I want to start as a freshman, be a freshman All-American, stuff like that,” Bowen said. “It’s a great opportunity to do that so close to home and share that with all my family.”
