LB Drayk Bowen Becoming A Force For Notre Dame
Recruiting is the lifeblood of every college football program and Marcus Freeman made waves the moment he stepped foot on campus as defensive coordinator in 2021.
Freeman’s presence immediately enhanced Notre Dame’s defensive recruiting and that trend has continued into his third year as head coach.
In recruiting, coaches are working years in advance to acquire talent that they hope will pay off down the road.
Sophomore linebacker Drayk Bowen was one of Freeman's first priorities when he arrived in South Bend. Some had their doubts about the in-state product ever playing at Notre Dame, including a few articles as recently as this fall.
Freeman saw a player who could lead his defense and knew Notre Dame trailed Auburn as Bowen’s recruitment as a commitment was coming sooner than later.
What was the move? Freeman took a couple of his kids to one of Bowen’s games in October of 2021 and stood on a track while it poured rain for two hours. A few days later, Bowen committed to Freeman before the USC game.
“That was kind of the sealing factor for me,” said Bowen. “That was when I was like, ‘Alright, I’m committing to Notre Dame. This is the coach I want to play for and the school I want to be at.’ He sat in the rain and the cold and had his two kids out there. He could have easily left at halftime, but he didn’t. He stayed the entire game.
“Him doing that showed me this guy cares about me and cares about my family. He wants me to be someone who can play for Notre Dame. That meant everything to me and I ended up coming here.”
Fast-forward three years and Freeman’s relentless approach has paid off. Bowen has started seven games for Notre Dame and currently leads the team with 38 tackles. The fun might just be getting started, as Bowen has become comfortable over the last three games, which has allowed the game to slow down already.
“It definitely has from film study,” stated Bowen. “I talked to JD (Bertrand) during the bye week and he talked to me about how he watches film throughout the week. I’ve done it and made my own way, especially since I can’t do everything he does because of school.
“Being able to recognize most things and knowing what they can give me has helped me slow down and know what plays what to expect.”
Now, Bowen hasn’t officially arrived yet, but he’s inching closer to becoming a game-wrecker every time he steps on the field. There is noticeable growth each week, but Bowen also knows he will experience more growing pains as he’s 231 snaps into his Notre Dame career.
“I think that came because of Texas A&M, kind of just stopped thinking so much and just go play,” Bowen said of settling into the college game. “Since then that's really been something I try to focus on. I'm just playing. You can think on the sideline when you're watching it or think after the game. I feel like I've definitely become more of what I wanted to be.”
What does Bowen want to be? A presence.
Bowen was a physical presence all over the field last Saturday in Atlanta as he registered nine tackles in just 30 plays, while also breaking up a pass. The St. John (ind.) native also made his presence felt with the physicality that he brought to the field and that’s something Bowen did in high school when he was playing his best ball.
“Yeah, it's a little more exciting when you get some extra stuff behind you and you lay a big hit or something like that,” Bowen explained. “But it's also great being able to do that is because of everybody else doing their job. It helps me kind of know who I can count on.”
It wasn’t just Bowen laying the wood against Georgia Tech as it was the whole front seven. In fact, Notre Dame’s defense and just about everyone else saw that Georgia Tech quarterback Zach Pyron wanted no part of physical contact over the last few drives.
“You could definitely see it on the last drive and the last play right before the two-point conversion, he really didn't want any part of it,” Bowen stated. “He just wanted to throw, get it out of his hands. That's something Coach Golden talks about. If they're a running quarterback, they got to pay the toll of running the ball. When running quarterbacks want to run it, that's what you got to do. You just got to hit them and hit them and it will take its toll eventually.”
It’s wise advice from Golden and it’s applicable this week as Notre Dame will face one of the most productive running quarterbacks in the country. Quarterback Blake Horvath has thrown for 888 yards and 10 touchdowns while also adding 621 rushing yards and 10 scores in Navy’s triple-option attack.
“He's a really good quarterback,” Bowen said. “He's an athlete all over the field. He's their guy. When he gets in space, he makes big plays happen. Just being able to contain him and getting him on the ground and make our hits on him and try to make our toll and make him not want to carry the ball as much will hopefully limit their offense a little bit, but it will also help us, maybe not want him to be such a big part of the game because he's such a big part of their offense.”
Defending Navy’s attack will be a significant challenge for Notre Dame’s defense, but one the Irish are embracing as there are some very motivated players on that side of the ball.
“I feel like it's just competition with everybody,” stated Bowen. “Who's gonna get the first pick. Who's going to get the first pick in coverage or who's going to get this? Who's going to get that?
“It's every week. It's just a competition with each other and trying to be the best linebacking group we can.”
Freeman couldn’t be more pleased with what he’s seen from the linebacker room in recent weeks. The youth movement at the second level has shown great progress, which is a sign of good evaluations, recruiting and development.
“It’s a credit to recruiting,” said Freeman. “We did a good job of evaluating and recruiting really good players, but they’re developing. They’re becoming more comfortable. They have great God-given abilities, but Coach Bullough is doing a great job of developing those skill sets to really show up on Saturdays.”
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