Scouting Journals for Peyton Bowen

Athletic safety who stars for one of the best high school defenses in the state of Texas. Pairs solid size with some of the better combine athleticism we’ve seen among 2023 safeties. Carries over the twitchy athleticism onto the field. Is a dynamic return man, taking several kicks to the house as a junior and senior. Looks like one of the top kick returners nationally, regardless of cycle. Plays with outstanding range, showing the ability to cover from the hash to the boundary with ease. Has awareness in coverage to recognize route combinations. Shows ball skills in deep coverage in addition to playing sparingly on offense in key spots. Stood out in the state championship game as a junior, making a number of explosive plays with the ball in his hands. Instinctive in coverage, showing the ability to jump passes. Makes plays at a high rate on Friday nights, while facing top competition in Texas' highest classification. Shows some physicality as a run defender but can continue improving in that area. Looks like one of the more explosive safety prospects in recent cycles.

Peyton Bowen has been a driving force of Denton (Texas) Guyer’s fast 8-0 start and was brilliant in the secondary and yet again on special teams in the lopsided defeat of Allen on Thursday. The hybrid defensive back darts to the ball and consistently puts himself in a position to make plays on the ball in the air, and can cover sideline to sideline as quick as anyone in the country. Over the past three years, Bowen has been a playmaker as a pass-catcher out of the backfield as well as a ballhawk on the back end of the defense. This season, he has been dynamic in the return game and housed a 60-yard punt, running through a multitude of defenders’ grasps and flashing absurd balance and elusiveness in the process of scoring from the other side of the field. Bowen evaded six tackles and broke loose away from a seventh, and brings game-breaking ability to a team in so many different facets, including as a leader in the locker room.

Notre Dame safety commit Peyton Bowen (No. 18) backed up a sterling on-field resume at Denton (Texas) Guyer with best showing among defensive backs at Under Armour Future 50 last weekend. Bowen checks in at around 6-feet, 185 pounds with plus length for the position. He’s a big-time playmaker on the back end at Denton Guyer with 12 pass breakups and six interceptions as a junior, while playing in Texas’ highest classification. He’s also a top athlete and flashed his speed at Future 50, finishing second in the Fastest Man competition, beating out some very fast prospects. Additionally, Bowen was a standout in drills and 7-on-7 play.

The safeties were the most talented position group on hand at Future 50. Peyton Bowen stood out as the top performer – and top overall prospect – in that group. The Notre Dame pledge showed a complete skill set at the position, pairing top notch athleticism with refined cover skills. We typically saw Bowen in phase in 1-on-1’s and 7-on-7. He flashed the long speed at the end of the morning session, finished second in the fastest man competition. The 6-foot, 185-pounder also made an impact in the afternoon, jumping a route to pick off Jackson Arnold on a PAT attempt, that would’ve likely gone for a 98 yard pick-six. Bowen is one of the top back seven defenders in high school football on Friday nights at Denton (Texas) Guyer and looked the part in this elite camp setting, as well.

Peyton Bowen is a big play waiting to happen in the back end of the secondary and he delivered during tournament play on Saturday when the Notre Dame pledge came away with a pick roaming in center field. Bowen is instinctual and often makes the right decision. He can jump routes and cover like a cornerback, and with some added weight this off-season he can certainly impose his will on receivers in the middle of the field.

Peyton Bowen and Denton Guyer took on Little Elm, who features 2022 five-star cornerback Terrance Brooks. Bowen continues to look like one of the better Lone Star State’s better defensive backs in the 2023 cycle. The 6-foot, 180-pounder came down with a game-sealing interception in the 4th quarter. Bowen secured the pick in the back of the end zone and looked like an offensive player on the return. He also flashed some high-end burst and movement skills in cutting back on a long kickoff return.