Changing your mind is a student’s prerogative, and Peyton Bowen knows that better than most. The five-star defensive back went from Notre Dame to Oregon on National Signing Day, and now he’s flipping again. This time, Bowen has said that he signs for Oklahoma. College football has had a wild last couple of days with commitments, cancellations and transfers at a rapid pace. This is just the latest drama in one of the craziest recruiting seasons of all time.
South Bend to Oregon to Norman
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning must have gloated Wednesday when he managed to trade five-star safety Peyton Bowen from Notre Dame. On Thursday afternoon, that smile would have been wiped off his chops when Bowen decided to trade again, this time to Oklahoma under defensive mastermind Brent Venables.
“Shortly after choosing Oregon yesterday morning, I realized the decision was not the best path for me,” Bowen said via Twitter statement.
“I immediately began to reconsider my future. I want to thank Coach Freeman, Coach Golden, and Coach Powledge. For most of this year I had really envisioned my future at Notre Dame. That being said, after deciding to reconsider my final destination, I realized my heart was elsewhere. That brings me to Oklahoma.
“Oklahoma has always felt like home to me. On reflection, it seems like I’m always looking for a reason to branch out and get out of the house. But my relationships with Coach Variables, Coach Bates, Coach Valai, Coach Hall, and Coach Chavis, along with my ties to local friends and family eventually brought me back to where I belonged.”
Respect my decision I just want peace for me and my family Boomer Sooner ⭕️U!! pic.twitter.com/ERfET7lIyG
– Peyton Bowen (@PeytonBowen10) December 22, 2022
Bowen also took time out to apologize to fans at Notre Dame and Oregon.
“Faithfuls of Oregon and Notre Dame, I am sorry for how I have handled this process,” Bowen said. “Changing my decision on signing day, the hat bomb forgery, everything could have been handled better. I can’t change what I did, but this experience is something I will learn from.”
Whether you learn from it or not, now you will at Norman.
