Oklahoma, Notre Dame or Someone Else? Has 5-Star DB Peyton Bowen Made Up His Mind?

NORMAN — Perhaps Peyton Bowen actually doesn’t know what he needs to do. Perhaps he does and and he’s simply being respectful to the recruiting course of. Or possibly he’s already firmly made up his thoughts and he’s simply letting all of it play out.

Regardless of the prized Texas highschool recruit decides — or has determined — must be revealed quickly. Wednesday is the primary day of the early signing interval — Nationwide Signing Day. Will Bowen stay dedicated to Notre Dame? Will he flip to Oklahoma? Or will he flip to Texas A&M?

It’s been within the recruiting ether for months now, and as of Monday, there have been few actual indicators that he had determined a method or one other.

Reed Heim is Bowen’s highschool soccer coach at Guyer Excessive College in Denton, TX, and Heim has a principle.

“In my view, the longer that he stays dedicated to Notre Dame — each second that he stays dedicated to Notre Dame — I believe his possibilities of going to Notre Dame are going up,” Heim informed AllSooners on Monday. “As a result of he already made that call a very long time in the past. So it is the best factor for him to do, is simply keep it up.”

Bowen had an official go to scheduled to Oregon this previous weekend, however he canceled it. He had additionally been contemplating taking an official to Oklahoma. That didn’t occur.

Texas A&M, with its seemingly limitless assets, has been recruiting him arduous. He’s been verbally dedicated to the Combating Irish since Jan. 1, however he’s been pulled by OU for about that lengthy, as greatest buddy and Guyer 5-star quarterback Jackson Arnold dedicated to the Sooners on Jan. 24.

Backside line: Bowen is torn.

“Very tough,” Heim mentioned. “I believe that it is a kind of issues the place he actually loved the recruiting course of — you recognize, so far as listening to all people, seeing what all people has to say and supply and all this stuff. And so the advantage of that’s that it is actually allowed a few the actually big-time applications to sort of rise to the highest.”

Bowen is the No. 3 total participant in Texas and the No. 2 security within the nation, in response to 247 Sports activities. The 6-foot, 190-pound senior additionally has gives from Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas and USC.

Bowen reportedly had a number of in-home visits final week, together with head coaches from Oregon, Notre Dame and Oklahoma on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, respectively.

“I used to be trending, actually, towards Oregon,” Heim mentioned, “after which he did not go. And so I am turning again to Notre Dame. I am not saying he ain’t gonna go to OU. However in the event you’re gonna ask me proper now, I would say Notre Dame.

“However I could also be flat-ass unsuitable.”

Though 247 Sports activities nationwide director of soccer recruiting Steve Wiltfong supplied his official prediction — a “crystal ball” — that Bowen would flip to OU (247 Sports activities studies that Wiltfong’s predictions are right greater than 91 p.c of the time), there’s nonetheless an extended option to go.

Bowen has been radio silent.

Heim suggests these hanging on each morsel of data swirling round Bowen might need to attend a little bit longer than Wednesday.

“Now, the opposite factor,” Heim mentioned, “is that on Wednesday morning, when he will get a paper from OU, Oregon, Notre Dame and Texas A&M — he simply indicators considered one of them after which he’s performed. He does not have to inform anyone. He simply has to signal a chunk of paper.

“I’ll say that the longer you wait and the extra you hear, I believe generally it makes your decision-making course of tougher. And you then mix that with the flexibility for some groups to throw round — whether or not they’re actual, imaginary or no matter — however to throw round some greenback determine quantities and the NIL piece, I believe that makes it — that provides mud to the water, and it makes it a really tough choice to make for a child that is simply turned 18. 

“I believe it is arduous.”