2023 LB Drayk Bowen Recaps Latest Visit to Notre Dame

2023 Notre Dame linebacker commit Drayk Bowen‍ will head to Vanderbilt on Sunday for a baseball tournament, but he first had to take care of some business on Saturday. 

The 6-foot-2, 224-pounder went to baseball practice this morning and then headed over to Notre Dame to hang out with his future teammate Keon Keeley and the Reader brothers. 

"It was pretty awesome,” Bowen told ISD. “We didn't have an itinerary or agenda, so we were tagging along and hanging out with everyone. It was pretty fun.

"I talked to Coach (Al) Golden and it was the first time getting to meet him. I spoke to Coach (Marcus) Freeman and Coach (Chad) Bowden a little bit. I got to hang out with Keon, Tre and Troy Reader, so it was fun." 

Bowen and Golden have started to form a relationship over the last several weeks, but the chance to meet face-to-face was something the four-star prospect was excited to do. 

"Coach Freeman and the players really like the way he teaches,” said Bowen. “They love it. He knows what he's doing and from talking to him, I really like him. He's very personable and easy to talk to." 

Saturday was the first time Keeley and Bowen really got to mix it up outside of text conversations and Social Media. 

And the two hit off from the second Bowen arrived on campus. 

"It was fun,” Bowen stated. “He and I are both goofballs, so getting to mess around with him was fun. Keon is just a funny kid and I really liked hanging out with him.

"He's a really funny kid, but he knows when it's time to get serious and do what he needs to do. He's super outgoing and he was asking where I was at before I got there. 

"He really wanted to get to me as much as I wanted to know him." 

Bowen also was excited to meet the Reader brothers as he’ll play football with Tre and baseball with Troy. 

In fact, Bowen found out Troy has bragging rights over him as they played against each in baseball. 

"It was pretty cool,” explained Bowen. “We found out I've actually played against Troy in a baseball tournament in Georgia. It was fun to talk to Tre about the differences from up here and down there. It was great to meet them today." 

Bowen has remained firm in his commitment to Notre Dame, but at the same time, the chance to hang out with kids like Keeley and the Readers gives him further peace of mind that he made the right choice.

"It really does because I've only talked to Keon over text,” said Bowen. “The chance to meet him in person and see what he's actually like was great. It was cool to see how similar we are and I think that's what made today so great. 

"He recruited me to Notre Dame and it's great to have that relationship with him."