Peyton Bowen, the highly-rated defensive back who backed off a verbal commitment to Notre Dame and said he was going to attend Oregon, ended up signing with Oklahoma on Thursday.
Bowen’s flip from the Fighting Irish to the Ducks during a ceremony at his high school in Denton, Texas, was one of the biggest stories Wednesday as college football’s three-day early signing period began. He was one of several high-profile recruits to make a last-minute pivot to Oregon.
But the five-star safety was never officially announced as part of Oregon’s top-10 class.
Bowen posted a statement on social media Thursday, saying he regretted some of his actions and apologizing to the fans of the schools he jilted.
“Navigating this process has been a rollercoaster. ... Oregon and Notre Dame faithful, I am sorry for how I handled this process. Changing my decision on signing day, the hat pump fake, all of it could have been handled better. I can’t change what I did but this experience is something I will learn from,” Bowen posted.
Bowen thanked the coaching staffs at Notre Dame and Oregon.
“Oklahoma family, I am excited to join this wonderful program and represent this university going forward!” Bowen said.
Oklahoma later announced Bowen had signed with the school.
The other notable signing of the second day of the early period was by Alabama.
The Crimson Tide, which has already locked up the No. 1 class in the nation, got a commitment from a seventh recruit with a five-star rating, according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings.
Cornerback Desmond Rick, who is from Virginia but played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, was originally set to be a member of the 2024 recruiting class but reclassified to 2023.