The Oklahoma football program, under first-year head coach Brent Venables, got off to a rough start, posting a 6-7 record in 2022. The Sooners finished the season with their worst record since 1998, snapping a quarter-century run of winning football in Norman, Oklahoma. OU became accustomed to winning, making 17 New Year’s Six bowl games from 2000 to 2021, but had fallen on unprecedented shortcomings in 2022.
However, that didn’t stop Venables and the Sooners from landing an elite recruiting class and finishing 2023 with double-digit wins. One of their top signees from the class of 2023, safety Peyton Bowen, decommitted from two schools before signing with Oklahoma despite a 6-7 record the year prior. His reason? Faith in the program.
Oklahoma Football Safety Peyton Bowen: ‘I Saw the Vision, and I Trusted It’
Peyton Bowen, one of the top safety recruits in the class of 2023 per 247 Sports, played a substantial role in Oklahoma’s football turnaround last season despite his true freshman status. Bowen played in 13 games, totaling 36 tackles, a TFL, a sack, a forced fumble, and five passes defended. He forced the fumble in the team’s epic back-and-forth battle against rival Texas, resulting in an OU victory. Bowen initially committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish before making his allegiance to the Oregon Ducks. However, in December of 2022, he again jumped ship, landing with Oklahoma for good. The Denton, Texas native bought in what coach Brent Venables was selling at OU despite the mediocre results in year one.
Why did Peyton Bowen ultimately decide to flip to OU during his recruitment?
Faith in the program was a huge reason.
“I saw the vision and I trusted it.”
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“I had faith. I knew after the 6-7 season, we’d spin back and really come into form. If I didn’t have faith, I never would have made that decision to come here. I saw the vision, and I trusted it. That gave me the leap of faith to come,” said Bowen, according to the popular OU Twitter page, The REF.
Bowen should slot behind star safety Billy Bowman and junior Robert Spears-Jennings next season while continuing to see an uptick in snaps. Meanwhile, his brother and three-star corner Eli Bowen has signed with the Sooners and will play in Norman next fall.
Oklahoma Sooners: Defensive Improvements in 2023
Alongside Peyton Bowen, the Oklahoma football program took a massive leap forward regarding production in 2023. The Sooners allowed 23.5 points per game, the 49th-best average in college football. They allowed 30.0 points per game the year prior, the first under defensive-minded head coach Brent Venables.
Oklahoma received massive production from linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman. Stutsman posted 104 tackles, 16 TFLs, and three sacks, while Bowman had 63 tackles and six interceptions.
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