Drayk Bowen Is Doing Serious Recruiting For Notre Dame

Notre Dame linebacker commit Drayk Bowen returned to campus for the Blue-Gold Game to help recruit other standouts into the 2023 class

The last time we checked in with Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean standout linebacker Drayk Bowen, he was laser focused on making an impact during the Blue-Gold Game weekend. Consider the weekend for the Notre Dame commit to be quite successful.

His priority conversations were Lake Stevens (Wash.) High School running back Jayden Limar and Austin (Texas) Westlake star receiver Jaden Greathouse. Bowen arrived on Friday night soaking in the vibes of something that he could only describe as being special. He had made this same drive from Merrillville to South Bend several times, but this time the campus felt different, and even though the moon had taken over the sky, Bowen wanted to get a better feel for what he was experiencing and jumped out of the vehicle on the approach to campus and got social media buzzing on the eve of the blue and gold game.

“We were driving up the road to campus and I just had to jump out and get a pic,” Bowen explained. “That drive up with the dome lit up is special and I had to get out and show everyone how special Notre Dame is.”

That was just the beginning of a very special weekend as 298 former Notre Dame players descended upon South Bend to connect the past with the present and the future of the program.

The atmosphere was electric, and recruits were more than impressed, and the former players gushed over the program rolling out the red carpet for their returns to campus. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and his staff had a great opportunity, and they chose simplicity. They simply put the legacy, tradition and future in the same room and allowed the magic to happen.

Drayk’s intentions were to continue recruiting players in the 2023 and 2024 classes, but something happened amid seeing his coaches, shaking hands with Hall of Famers, and talking to present day NFL players from his favorite team.

“I kind of felt like a recruit all over again,” Bowen detailed. “I spoke to Cole Kmet for a long time and many more former players from different years.”

The recruitment of Drayk Bowen wasn’t the slam dunk some made it seem. A kid from Northwest Indiana as talented as Bowen is supposed to go to Notre Dame, right? At the heart, Bowen is a Texas born kid that ended up in Chicago and later Northwest Indiana as his father worked as an educator in several schools in the area.

His first taste of sports was in SEC country and that stayed with him long after he arrived in the Midwest. Despite interest from several southeastern powers, Bowen couldn’t deny that he belonged at Notre Dame, and he wants other top recruits to experience the same thing.

“We had been everywhere and talked to all the coaches,” Bowen explained. “I couldn’t say no to Coach Freeman and Coach (Chad) Bowden. At the end of the day, I loved a lot of coaches, but could say no to them over saying no to Coach Freeman. I love the south and the SEC, but South Bend is home and Coach Freeman showed me that.”

Recognized by some within the Fighting Irish program as the heartbeat of the 2023 recruiting class, Bowen did not forget his assignment while enjoying himself during the weekend festivities. He connected with fellow 2023 commits and strengthened their bond even more. He previously spoke with Irish Breakdown about his excitement to see his friend Peyton Bowen and his brother Eli Bowen. Drayk Bowen and Keon Keeley were inseparable for much of their joint time on campus. They move and refer to each other as family and wanted to show all the recruits what was being built by Freeman and the Fighting Irish staff.

He had great conversations with Limar, Greathouse, five-star safety Caleb Downs and elite 2024 safety Peyton Woodyard and added some new competitors to the gaming network that already exists between commits and recruits. The conversations centered around his experience and relating to being from a different region and recognizing why Notre Dame is the right choice for great players.

“All of those guys seemed like they had a great time,” Bowen described. “Coach Freeman made us (2023 commits) see Notre Dame. The top athletes that don’t know what Notre Dame is for real are getting a chance to see. He helps guys see more than just the SEC.”

Bowen continues to communicate with Downs, Woodyard and of course the 2023 commits, and he’s locked into the Notre Dame fanbase. Bowen recognizes the Notre Dame fanbase being anxious for good news of additions to the already number one ranked 2023 recruiting class. The outlook for the month of April was optimistic when it came to Notre Dame continuing to build on momentum from a great spring with practices and recruits visiting, but things didn’t play out like some may have anticipated. Sometimes Drayk wonders how some guys don’t see what he and other commits have seen and connected to. At the end of the day, he believes in Marcus Freeman and the feeling surrounding the program that got him to commit. They say April showers bring May flowers!

“It feels great respecting my brothers”, Bowen says confidently. “I know Irish fans are waiting, but I’m just stay calm and wait. I trust Coach Freeman.”

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Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
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