Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 NOV. 13, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER The wait is over. Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean class of 2023 linebacker Drayk Bowen announced his commitment to Notre Dame Nov. 3, choosing the Fighting Irish over fellow finalists Auburn and Clemson. Among the key factors in his decision to pick the Irish were a strong educa- tion, close relationships on the Notre Dame staff and proximity to home. "Obviously, the academics are Ivy League," Bowen told Blue & Gold Il- lustrated. "I have a great relationship with both the football and baseball coaches. And one of the biggest rea- sons I picked them was because over the summer, I wasn't home very much, and my younger brother and sister started to grow up, and I missed a lot of that. I don't want to keep missing that. "With Notre Dame being close to home, I'm an hour away and won't miss much." Bowen informed Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and defen- sive director of recruiting Chad Bowden of his decision to commit, as well as Irish assistant baseball coach Rich Wallace. He will play both sports for Notre Dame. "They were really excited," Bowen added. "They weren't expecting it ei- ther, so they were super excited about it. We called the baseball staff, and they were thrilled, too. It was a great feeling to tell them I was committing." The 6-2, 215-pounder also spoke with Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly about his decision. "He was extremely excited," Bowen recalled. "He was talking about two- sport athletes at Notre Dame, what that looks like and who's done it there." Cincinnati was the first school to offer Bowen a scholarship on July 14, 2020. At the time, Bowden and Freeman were still on staff with the Bearcats. A month after Freeman started on the job with Notre Dame, his staff offered Bowen and he picked things up where they left off. "They're so important to me," Bowen said of Freeman and Bowden. "I proba- bly have the best relationship with them out of anybody. That was a big part to me. They worked so hard to get me. "Ever since they offered me at Cin- cinnati, they had been recruiting me. They had worked for over a year to get me. That commitment to me shows how much they cared and wanted me. That was another huge reason of why I chose Notre Dame." Bowen is the first linebacker and in- state commitment for the Fighting Irish in the 2023 class. He gives Notre Dame six verbals in the cycle and plans to help the staff go after other top targets. Winning a title in South Bend is in his plans, too. "I'm going to try to bring a national championship to Notre Dame and grow and develop as a man," Bowen said. "I want other recruits to find their home, and I'm going to work to bring them here. That's a big thing I want to do." Rivals ranks Bowen as the No. 1 pros- pect in Indiana, and the No. 2 outside linebacker and No. 22 overall player na- tionally in the 2023 class. Through 11 games of his junior sea- son, which includes two Indiana Class 2A State Tournament wins, Bowen has recorded 82 tackles (6.0 for loss), 2.0 sacks, two interceptions, one pass de- flection and one forced fumble. At run- ning back, he has carried the rock 97 times for 632 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's also caught 16 passes for 110 yards and two scores. In helping lead Andrean to the Indiana 2A state quarterfinals as a sophomore in 2020, Bowen posted 80 tackles (13.0 for loss), 5.0 sacks, one interception re- turned for a score, three pass deflec- tions, four forced fumbles, two blocked punts and one blocked field goal. He had 19 touches on offense for 399 yards and five touchdowns. Bowen was the only sophomore to appear on the 2020 Indiana MaxPreps All-State high school football team. He was listed on the second-team defense. The Indiana Football Coaches Asso- ciation had Bowen on its 2020 Class 2A Junior All-State Team; he was one of two sophomores on the list. During his prep career, Bowen has 212 total stops, 29.0 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks and 22 total touchdowns. Bowen held 28 scholarship offers per Rivals, including Auburn, Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech. During his sophomore baseball sea- son, Bowen played every position ex- cept catcher, and hit .400 with 26 runs scored, 16 runs batted in and a team- high 23 stolen bases, per NWI.com. He's played both in the infield and outfield at the high school level. ✦ FILM ANALYSIS "It's very rare to see a guy with his size who also has the kind of speed, quickness, body control and balance that he does. Drayk Bowen takes great angles to the ball and is a sure tackler. He also has the kind of lateral mobility college scouts love to see. "A very active and tough competitor, Bowen never backs down. He is consistently mak- ing tackles on running plays and makes plays in space. Bowen is no doubt a three-down backer with exceptional skills." — Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming COMMITMENT PROFILE DRAYK BOWEN Fighting Irish Beat Out Auburn And Clemson For Elite, In-State Linebacker Rivals rates Bowen as a four-star talent, the No. 1 prospect in Indiana, and the No. 2 outside linebacker and No. 22 overall player in the class of 2023. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER