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Prep Glory 'Doesn't Travel' for Oklahoma's 5-Star Freshmen, but 'Guts, Toughness' Does

P.J. Adebawore and Peyton Bowen have already been wildly productive and efficient in their short time as Sooners, but they've also stayed humble and continued to work hard.
John E. Hoover|
Prep Glory 'Doesn't Travel' for Oklahoma's 5-Star Freshmen, but 'Guts, Toughness' Does
Prep Glory 'Doesn't Travel' for Oklahoma's 5-Star Freshmen, but 'Guts, Toughness' Does

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Oklahoma Sooners

NORMAN — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables isn’t necessarily surprised by the results so far of his 5-star freshmen defenders — or the fanfare around them.

But he might know someone who is: their families.

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Defensive end P.J. Adebawore and safety Peyton Bowen are just four games into their college football careers, but they’ve already turned heads, with Adebawore racking up quarterback sacks and tackles for loss and Bowen breaking up passes and almost grabbing interceptions.

Bowen leads the Sooners with four passes broken up, while Adebawore is the co-leader on the defensive line with 2.5 tackles for loss.

They both look like future stars. Adebawore’s sack at Cincinnati last Saturday looked like something out of an NFL Films highlights package, and Bowen’’s knockdown of a pass in the end zone showed a poise and composure that belies his years.

On Tuesday, Venables recounted his favorite elements of their recruiting journeys.

“You ever talk to P.J.’s family, they are incredibly humble and amazing people,” Venables said. “He has no helicopter parents. He went to a (high school) program that not a lot of people are necessarily talking about or not just producing amazing talent every single year. He’s a blue-collar kid. He’s super humble and hard working. Nothing that has happened with P.J. has surprised me.

“When we went on our first home visit, Coach (Miguel) Chavis and I — and P.J.’s brother (Tommie) got drafted; he plays for the Indianapolis Colts now. He got drafted. He had an excellent combine and he was maybe 6-3, 280 and ran a 4.5. He’s just freakish. We’re bragging up P.J., and both parents are “who is P.J.? He’s done nothing.” They start bringing up his other son. ‘He has a degree, he’s a strong man, he has this great body of work, he’s going to play in the NFL — P.J. has done nothing.’ Right then, I knew we were going to love these parents. Nothing he’s done is going to surprise me. He wants to earn everything.

“Peyton is the same way. He is a different player and from a different environment. He has amazing parents. They are great, great people. Amee and Winston are just amazing people. They raised him the right way. He’s a great friend, great teammate, very humble, lets you coach him hard, so he’s had success as a result. He can get out of his own way. You see that with some guys who have been affected negatively by their environment. You don’t see it a ton, but it does happen sometimes.”

Through their first four games, Adebawore has played 67 snaps, while Bowen has played 141, according to Pro Football Focus.

Adebawore, from North Kansas City, has posted an overall PFF defensive grade of 61.3 (19th on the team), while Bowen’s is 76.3 (ninth). Adebawore’s pass rush grade of 71.8 ranks third on the OU defense, while Bowen’s coverage grade of 75.7 ranks fifth. Bowen’s tackling grade of 85.6 ranks second on the team, while Adebawore’s grade of 78.3 ranks seventh.

Sometimes a 5-star recruit will come into his new setting with a sense of entitlement. That hasn’t been the case with Adebawore and Bowen, Venables said.

“Me, personally, I like to promote during the recruiting process that your butt is going to get in the back of the line like everybody else,” Venables said. “Stars, awards, all the wins, the tackles, the interceptions, the passing yards, you can’t bring it with you. It doesn’t travel. You bring guts and toughness and commitment and consistency. Those things travel. But you earn everything that you get. Those guys embrace that. Because of that, it has helped (them) transition very well and (they’ve) had success.”

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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