Drayk Bowen has been billed as the “Alpha Dog” of the Notre Dame football defense. It appears that he’s living up to the idea that he’s a leader of the Irish attack. Defensive coordinator Chris Ash is one of those that sees a leader in the linebacker.
“People naturally are going to look up to him,” Ash said according to Irish Sports Daily. “He's a guy that's played a lot of football around here. I think he's a smart, tough, accountable player and people look up to those guys.”
Drayk Bowen takes charge of Irish defense as Chris Ash seeks on-field leader
“He leads by example,” the new Notre Dame football defensive coordinator said. “He's one of those guys who is constantly studying the game. He takes great notes. He comes prepared every single day. He's one of the guys who's not afraid to speak up when someone needs to speak up.”
Bowen had his best career year in 2024, appearing in all 16 games and logging 615 snaps. He finished third on the team with 78 tackles and led the Irish with three forced fumbles. In 2025, the new Irish DC believes that Bowen can take the next step in his development.
“He's just trying to still get comfortable in that role because that's really not what he has done, but that's what we need him to do,” Ash stated. “He's still figuring that part of it out. But definitely being a leader by example and he's finding his opportunities to be more vocal when he needs to be.”
There are a lot of questions around the Notre Dame football team. There’s especially a lot of questions around the defense. Ash continues to think that Bowen is a big answer.