Oklahoma DB Peyton Bowen Earns Notable Midseason Recognition

Peyton Bowen has been one of the Sooners' top defensive players so far in 2026, and now he's a candidate for a major award.

Oklahoma defensive back Peyton Bowen crosses the goal line against Texas. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Oklahoma’s Peyton Bowen has been one of the nation’s best defensive backs to begin 2025, and now he is being recognized for his contributions.

Bowen, a senior safety, is a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to college football’s most outstanding defensive back.

A native of Corinth, Texas, Bowen has yet to miss a game during his four seasons at Oklahoma. Bowen has started all seven games of 2026 and been a key weapon on the Sooners’ defense.

Through seven games, Bowen has already registered 36 total tackles, 20 solo tackles, five pass breakups, two interceptions, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Bowen, of course, logged a pick-six in OU’s 27-24 win over No. 1 Texas on Oct. 10. Two weeks after that defensive touchdown, Bowen notched a critical interception in the fourth quarter of the Sooners’ 23-15 win against Mississippi State.

After the win in Starkville, OU coach Brent Venables raved about Bowen’s performance so far in 2026.

“He’s playing his best football,” Venables said. “That’s what you want from a guy in his last year. He’s been ultra-consistent, tough and physical, and he’s made a ton of game-changing plays. He’s the guy we recruited, hoping he’d become."

Per Pro Football Focus (PFF), Bowen is Oklahoma’s top-graded defensive player this year. His 86.7 defensive grade ranks sixth among all safeties in Division I college football.

In the three seasons before 2026, Bowen was similarly impactful. The defensive back compiled 117 total tackles, 60 solo tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions and a tackle for loss during his first three years. 

The SEC’s coaches named Bowen to the All-Conference second team last year, as he recorded 47 tackles, a team-high seven pass breakups, two interceptions and a tackle for loss in 13 starts.

"God willing, he stays healthy, he's going to play the game a long time," Venables said. "One of the best to play for us, without question."

Bowen is one of three SEC defensive backs to be named a semifinalist, along with Georgia’s KJ Bolden and Kentucky’s Jordan Castell.

The fourth-year safety will look to continue his stellar season this week against South Carolina.

While the Gamecocks are unranked, they are among the SEC’s hottest teams. South Carolina upset No. 16 Tennessee on Saturday, just two weeks after the Gamecocks earned a 19-point road win over No. 17 Florida.

Saturday’s game between the Sooners and the Gamecocks will begin at 3:15 p.m., and it will be televised on SEC Network.

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