The Irish got some bad news today as star Notre Dame linebacker and captain Drayk Bowen has undergone offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. The bad news is that Bowen is likely to miss the majority of spring practice; however, this shouldn't affect his availability come fall camp.
Source confirms @mattfreeman05_'s report that Drayk Bowen underwent offseason hip surgery and is expected to miss much of spring practice.
— Jack Soble (@jacksoble56) January 14, 2026
Bowen is an established starter at Mike linebacker and a likely 2027 NFL Draft pick. pic.twitter.com/Mp0ao9S5gq
The Irish nearly lost Bowen after the 2025 season as he debated declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, but instead, the defensive captain decided to stick around South Bend for another season. The 2026 season will most likely be Bowen's last and is expected to be a top pick for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Over the past two seasons, Bowen has been a key part of Notre Dame's defense. Coming in at 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Bowen has been a starter in each of the last 28 games and had a total of 145 tackles, 73 solo tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and six pass breakups.
Even though the defense started off a bit slow in 2025, Bowen still led the Irish with 67 tackles and even added 17 quarterback pressures to his stat sheet. He certainly made a difference on this Notre Dame defense that got stronger as the season went on.
While the news of Bowen's injury isn't great, his spot on this Notre Dame linebacker core is pretty safe, so it will open up some opportunities for other players to show what they can bring to the table. Bowen's shoes will be tough ones to fill once he moves on to the NFL, so having someone ready to step up earlier rather than later might not be such a bad thing.
Here is to hoping Bowen has a speedy recovery, and fans will be happy to see him again in the fall in a Notre Dame uniform.