Peyton Bowen has left no question about his collegiate potential during his senior high school season. And now he has the star rating to show for it.
After being rated as a four-star prospect for the duration of his recruitment, the Rivals national team bumped the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Bowen up to a five-star recruit Monday. The Denton (Texas) Guyer High product is the only five-star commit in Notre Dame's class. The Irish lost a five-star commitment from defensive end Keon Keeley in August.
Bowen's rating increase comes near the end of standout senior season in which he’s racked up 63 tackles (45 solo), five pass breakups and five interceptions (one returned for touchdown) in his first 13 games. He also stood out on special teams with a punt return touchdown.
In addition to being promoted to a five-star, Bowen is now ranked by Rivals as the No. 10 overall prospect, No. 2 safety nationally and No. 2 player in Texas for the 2023 class. He was previously ranked No. 47, No. 3 and No. 12 in those respective categories.
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“A defensive back prospect like Denton (Texas) Guyer safety Peyton Bowen doesn't come around very often, but when it does, all you can do is marvel at the talent,” Rivals national recruiting analyst Nick Harris said. “When I think of what Bowen excels at the most, instincts come to mind. There is no better instinctual defender in the entire country, as Bowen is consistently in the middle of the action making big plays in the secondary or flying downhill to make plays in the run game.
“The layer of his game that may make him the most attractive to a fan is his ability in the return game. Bowen is a bonafide difference-maker in both the kick and punt return game. With the ball in his hands, he is bound to make game-changing plays, which carries over to when he returns interceptions almost every Friday night.”
Bowen chose the Irish on Jan. 1 over Alabama, Oklahoma and USC, marking ND Marcus Freeman’s first win on the recruiting trail since becoming head coach. And every day Bowen has remained in the class since has seemingly been an additional victory for Freeman and safeties coach Chris O’Leary.
Since making his pledge, Bowen has reported visits to five opposing schools: Alabama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon and Texas A&M. Most of those trips have come to Oklahoma (6) and Texas A&M (4) over the last 11 months. Because of Notre Dame’s no opposing official visit policy, which results in an automatic decommitment from a prospect if they officially visit another school, every one of Bowen’s other visits has been unofficial.
Bowen has been to Notre Dame three times since committing — the Blue-Gold Game on April 23, an official visit from June 10-12 and the Clemson game Nov. 5. But even with the Irish upsetting then-No. 5 Tigers with most of its commits in attendance during his last visit, he has kept flirting with other schools.
Before the conclusion of the regular season, Bowen visited Oklahoma on Nov. 19 to see the Sooners host Oklahoma State. That visit sparked a Rivals FutureCast prediction from Harris for Bowen to flip to Oklahoma.
Even with several visits to other schools, Notre Dame sources have remained confident Bowen will sign with the Irish when the early signing period begins Dec. 21. Last Friday, O’Leary made an in-home visit to see Bowen on the first day of this month’s contact period.
If Bowen ends up signing with the Irish, he will become just the second five-star safety Notre Dame has signed during the Rivals era (since 2002). In 2013, the No. 30 player in his class, Max Redfield, was the other. He would also be the top prospect to ink with the Irish since Jaylon Smith (No. 3) in 2013.
Bowen's 14-0 Guyer team will play Saturday against DeSoto (12-2) in a state semifinal for Texas' University Interscholastic League Conference 6A Division 2.
Bowen will play in the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 3.
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