Drayk Bowen’s Full-Time Focus on Football Has Him Poised for Notre Dame Captaincy
Drayk Bowen has been a central figure for Notre Dame for years.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker was the face of the 2023 recruiting class, holding it together when Brian Kelly left just a month after his commitment.
A year ago, Bowen finished third on the team with 78 tackles, while adding 4.0 tackles for loss and a sack as a 16-game starter.
This year, the in-state product has bigger aspirations and one is being named captain at Notre Dame.
"It'd be pretty special,” stated Bowen. “One of the biggest things is that it's player-voted. It's something where you have earned the respect of your teammates to be voted captain. Last year, everyone of those guys were the leaders. We knew they were leaders.
“For me, it would be special to know that I've earned that respect, I've done what I've needed to do to be named captain. It's still something I have to work on and still work towards and keep proving myself to my teammates."
Bowen has led Notre Dame for years and once again was the face of a unit during offseason workouts. As the heart and soul of the nation’s defense, Bowen seems like a lock to accomplish his latest goal.
“Last year was something where Coach (Marcus) Freeman talked about what a captain should be and what a leader should be for our defense,” explained Bowen. “Those guys who went up there exemplified that role. I think it's going to be the same thing. Seeing it was pretty special.
“Hopefully, when he does give us that speech, it's something that everyone will be able to do, and everyone will be able to be a leader, no matter who gets named captain. We're all in this together. It's going to be a special thing to see and be a part of."
The Indiana native is has not only had the experience to carry the weight, but Bowen has watched Notre Dame’s former captains very closely during his first two years on campus. JD Bertrand and Jack Kiser mentored Bowen and Notre Dame’s young linebackers and the junior linebacker is ready to do the same.
"I try to do the right things all the time,” said Bowen. “That's something I learned from JD and Jack, whether you're in the facility or not in the facility, you're treating people with respect. You treat your teammates with respect and you always do the right thing. You're helping out your teammates on film or whatever it may be. That's something that I've always tried to do and I'll keep doing it.
“I feel like learning from those guys about what it takes to be a true Notre Dame man truly helped.”
On the field, Bowen has set the example. The National Title game didn’t go as planned for the Irish, but Bowen set a strong tone in having his teammates back. Emeka Egbuka got the best of Christian Gray. Bowen didn’t like it and made sure Egbuka felt it.
Bowen also knew he could get into the head of TreVeyon Henderson if he picked the right time. He did. The Ohio State back went AWOL on the next play and tried to take a cheap shot at him.
This summer, Bowen didn’t highlight his offseason, but he was working. Notre Dame’s football team gets about a three-week break between the end of class and reporting in June. It’d be very easy to go home and relax for the first time since fall camp as the Irish didn’t get a winter break due to the College Football Playoffs.
Bowen didn’t. He went to Dallas to train at EXOS and added a skillset to his game.
“I did some linebacker work and mainly some edge rush stuff,” Bowen stated. “I just learned some moves, and being able to edge rush was something I wanted to add to my arsenal. Just a couple of moves and learning how the offense is going to set against me and stuff like that.”
The other big part of Bowen’s offseason was creating more time. Bowen stepped away from the baseball program to solely focus on football and that includes his two-week trip to Dallas.
"I haven't really missed it,” Bowen explained. “Sometimes, when I'm watching a game, I miss the memories of it traveling around the country and playing against the best competition. But it isn't something where I've really sat down and been upset about it. It's something that I needed to do and make a decision.
“In my football game, I've really been able to focus on the weight room and focus on my body. When you're with baseball, you're gone all the time, Thursday through Sunday. Then you get back at 2:00am and then you have workouts. It was something that needed to happen and it allowed me to work on my game.”
Bowen was also able to let his body recover from the longest season in college football history without running back and forth between the two programs.
“I was able to come back each and every day and get treatment in the training room or do recovery in the weight room and then be fresh the next day,” stated Bowen. “That was something where I really felt the difference. My legs were under me, I wasn't tired or groggy throughout the day. It was something that was really helpful during the spring."
Linebackers coach Max Bullough saw the benefits of Bowen focusing on one sport and believes it has created a path to get him to the NFL.
“To me, we're finally starting to see what Drayk Bowen can actually be when he focuses on one thing, eats for one thing, sleeps for one thing, does all the things that you're supposed to be doing. And getting rest is where it has helped him.
“Look, I told the scouts the other day. They kept coming in here and asking about JD Bertrand and Jack Kiser, who I can't say enough about. I'm saying, ‘Here's your next one. He just has the measurables you all want.’ And that's as simple as it is for me.”
With a trip to Miami just under three weeks away, Bowen will now look to get his defense up to speed and that will include continuing to be a vocal presence on the field.
"It's something that Max and I talked about and it was something he stressed to me,” said Bowen. “He told me, 'You're the middle backer. You calm everyone down and communicate with everyone'. JD did that all the time. He was communicating no matter what, it could be the smallest detail and everyone should know it.
“That's something that I've really tried to embody because if you're all wrong but you're all on the same page, then you're all right. If everyone is on the same page, then maybe we all messed up but we're all doing the same thing. That's something that I really try to do; I'm always communicating and doing the right thing."
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