Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 15, 2022 43 PREP PROFILES Denton (Texas) Guyer class of 2023 five-star safety Peyton Bowen is no stranger to interviews. After every high school game he's played in this fall, there's been a contingent of media members wanting the latest updates in his recruitment. "It's not too bad," Bowen said. "As a kid, you can like the attention, but at the same time, I'm answering the same questions over and over again. I'm get- ting used to it by now." Bowen committed to Notre Dame on New Year's Day, but there's been a lot of speculation about him possibly flip- ping his pledge to Oklahoma or Texas A&M. He's visited both programs a few times this year, stoking those rumors, but Bowen isn't worried about the out- side noise. "It's just what people think at the end of the day," Bowen said. "They can have their own opinions on where I'm going and what's going to happen. But it's my choice and what I'll do. I have all the say; it's just predictions." The Fighting Irish were one of the first schools to offer Bowen back in March 2021 and have built a strong con- nection with him for the past year and a half. "It's been good; we have a good rela- tionship," he said. "We're still on very good terms even though I'm going on these other visits. They're very under- standing." Bowen's communication with the Notre Dame staff has been consistent and, from what Blue & Gold Illustrated understands, he tells them that he plans on sticking with his pledge. However, the staff has to see the rumblings from Oklahoma and Texas A&M reporters about a potential flip. "Even on social media, I say I'm still locked in and fully committed," Bowen noted. "They're [Notre Dame] not freaking out or anything. They just tell me to remember why I committed here." The early signing period is a little more than two months away, and there's nothing set in stone on what he plans on doing next. "It could be anything," he said. "The timeline is all up in the air. I don't want to lead anyone on. I'm committed to Notre Dame, but I don't want to shut down my recruiting, and then some- thing happens and I'm stuck." — Mike Singer As one of the most talented wide re- ceiver prospects in the 2024 class, St. Louis Christian Brothers' Jeremiah McClellan had no shortage of college coaches reaching out to him on Sept. 1, the first day coaches were allowed to directly contact high school juniors. "It was really good," McClellan said. "A whole bunch of coaches texted me and sent me a lot of mail. It was great." While there were many schools that reached out to McClellan more than a month ago, there are a handful of pro- grams that he mentioned he speaks with on a regular basis. Missouri, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Arkansas are among those schools. Back on St. Patrick's Day, Notre Dame had its "Pot of Gold" recruiting initiative where it offered about 70 new prospects in the 2024 class. McClellan just hap- pened to be visiting Notre Dame that day and caught the Irish's spring practice. Rather than getting his offer over a phone call, McClellan got it face-to- face. And over the past several months, McClellan has been in touch with Notre Dame receivers coach Chansi Stuckey. "I'm keeping in contact with him," the four-star prospect noted. "I talk to Coach Stuckey two or three times per week. We'll talk about how our families are doing, who we have coming up in our games and some things I can work on. "He's a great guy — down to earth. He's a really cool person." A trip to Notre Dame this fall could be in the works for McClellan. It would be his third trip to campus if he were able to make it in. He visited in the spring and last October for the Cincinnati game. "I don't know if I'll go up there dur- ing the season, but I'm definitely going to talk to my dad and see what we can do," he said. It's too early in McClellan's recruit- ment to say exactly where any school stands on his list, but Notre Dame should be considered a contender. "I like the coaching staff a lot — the players, environment, atmosphere of campus and things there I've never seen before," he said with a smile. "They'll bench press students after they score; I've never seen that before." — Mike Singer Irish Are Fighting To Hold On To Five-Star Safety Four-Star Receiver Clicks With Notre Dame Staff PEYTON BOWEN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Guyer H.S. Denton, Texas Status: Notre Dame commit Class: 2023 Position: Safety Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 185 On3 Rankings: No. 1 player in Texas, and No. 2 safety and No. 15 overall player nationally JEREMIAH McCLELLAN ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Christian Brothers H.S. St. Louis Status: Offered Class: 2024 Position: Wide receiver Ht.: 5-10½ • Wt.: 190 On3 Rankings: No. 4 player in Missouri, and No. 29 wide receiver and No. 219 overall player nationally "It's been good; we have a good relationship. We're still on very good terms even though I'm going on these other visits. They're very understanding." Bowen on his connection with the Notre Dame staff