Notre Dame Makes Another Positive Impression on Top 2023 S Peyton Bowen

2023 Guyer (Texas) safety Peyton Bowen‍ got his first look at Notre Dame in the summer on a multi-day visit and the four-star prospect returned to South Bend over the weekend. 

The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder wanted to get back to experience a game at Notre Dame and he wasn't disappointed. 

"It was good to be back up there to check out a game," Bowen told ISD. "I liked the game atmosphere. There have been a few schools that I've gone to that the environment was really good. That was Notre Dame, Oklahoma and the Arkansas-Texas A&M game at AT&T Stadium."

Bowen was also impressed with both light shows as it was a first for him. 

"I thought the light show was really cool," said Bowen. "Not many schools are doing that." 

The visit also presented the first time Bowen was able to see Marcus Freeman's defense live. 

"It was good to see them working stuff, how they handled losing Kyle (Hamilton) and how different they were going to play without him," explained Bowen. 

"Coach (Chris) O'Leary talked to me about how they were going to use the safeties before the game." 

Bowen also felt the love from O'Leary during the visit as Notre Dame's safeties coach made plenty of time to explain how the Guyer star would fit into the defense. 

"He was telling me that he wanted me up there," stated Bowen. "He explained how they saw me fitting into their defense. He said I could play corner, nickel, field safety, boundary safety, or whatever fits my game. He also mentioned they could switch me around to different positions during the game." 

Freeman also made it clear how important Bowen was to the staff and an essential piece to the 2023 recruiting class. 

"He said he wants me up there," Bowen said. "His message was also about how he got brought in to push them to a National Championship and it was the last step they needed. 

"He said they needed me to do that.  He said if I joined, then the other pieces would fall into place and Notre Dame could make that run." 

Bowen also enjoyed his time around other top prospects, including a Notre Dame commit. 

"It was awesome," Bowen explained. "I was talking to Keon Keeley. He walked over to me and told me I needed to come to Notre Dame and said he genuinely wanted me there because we would have the No. 1 class in the country. 

"He was cool and I liked Keon." 

The Texas native also got into a friendly debate with Hamilton during pregame warmups as they were able to talk for a few minutes. 

"During warmups, I talked to Kyle a little bit, and it shows he's wholesome," Bowen said. "We talked about football and if Georgia was better than Texas in football. Of course, he said Georgia, but he was really cool to talk to, especially with him being the No. 1 safety in the nation." 

Bowen will turn his attention to winning a State Title and a decision could come sooner than later as he doesn't plan to drag his recruitment out. 

"I'm not sure if I'll do a top group," said Bowen. "If it comes down to it, then I will, but for right now, I'm focused on the playoffs. 

"I want to commit at the beginning of March at the latest." 

Ranking
ISD: 92 (four-star)
247: 91 (four-star)
Rivals: 5.9 (four-star)
ESPN: 86 (four-star)
Composite: 97.12 (four-star

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