Notre Dame football: What does linebacker Drayk Bowen bring to the Irish?
By Carlee North
The Notre Dame football team landed another incredible addition to the 2023 recruiting class, as Drayk Bowen committed to the Irish on Wednesday night.
Notre Dame football has landed a 2023 linebacker out of Merrillville, Indiana with Drayk Bowen committing to the Irish Wednesday night. Bowen has been to South Bend multiple times for visits and was last on campus at the beginning of October for a game day official and soaked it all in before making his final decision.
Notre Dame, who’s right in his backyard, was always going to be extremely tough to beat and the staff got this one done. He had a final three of Clemson, Auburn, and the Irish, liked them all a ton, but the Irish were just on another level and he didn’t want to wait any longer with making his decision public.
Bowen is not only an elite football player but he’s also an elite baseball player, which did play a big factor in his decision to come to Notre Dame as well. His relationship with defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and even baseball coach Link Jarrett was second to none and is a major reason he’s now going to be playing in Blue and Gold.
We will see how it goes with playing both come the time he’s on campus but he’s going to be an awesome athlete for the Irish. At the moment Drayk Bowen holds 27 offers from Wisconsin, Penn State, Clemson, and many other big-time programs around the country.
What does Drayk Bowen bring to the Notre Dame football program?
The 6’2 220-pound linebacker is a physical, hard-hitting backer. He not only is going to bring that aspect, but he’s very athletic and has a prototype frame to hold down the middle of the defense.
I haven’t seen a junior hit as hard as him in a long time, and it’s fun to watch on film. Bowen is savvy and explosive with great speed from side to side, who can also rush the passer coming off the edge when needed.
In today’s day and age you want someone who can also play in space and for being such a physical player he has good movement and knows how to move in space with solid coverage skills along with it. Right now he’s used a ton to get after the ball carrier, which is an obvious decision for his high school coach, so it’ll be fun to watch his coverage skills flourish over the next year before making his way to campus.
Notre Dame needs to keep elite guys coming out of their home state and that’s exactly what they did here with elite linebacker Drayk Bowen. Does anyone remember the last linebacker out of Indiana? Yeah that Jaylon Smith guy was pretty good in Blue and Gold.
With Drayk Bowen making it official, the 2023 Irish class now has six commitments, with four of the guys being on the defensive side and two on offense. The Irish hold a top 3 class already in 2023 and this group is just getting started. If the staff stays intact this class could be one of the best for Notre Dame, even after an outstanding class already formed in 2022. Stay tuned.