2028 TE Grant Bowen Details Notre Dame's Pitch After Weekend Visit

Grant Bowen‍ had visited Notre Dame before, but the 2028 Illinois tight end had never seen it like this.

Bowen returned to South Bend for the blowout of Stanford last weekend.

"It was a great experience," Bowen told Irish Sports Daily. "Starting with The Walk the players do, being able to participate in that was pretty incredible."

The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder toured Shields Hall for the first time and was blown away.

"It's pretty unique," Bowen said. "Every little corner, they have a little detail. It signifies something about Notre Dame Football."

The atmosphere inside Notre Dame Stadium made its own impression on the Immaculate Conception standout.

"The prayer to start the game is great," Bowen said. "Just the vibe that you see and feel with the stadium being packed, every seat filled."

On the field, Bowen watched with a tight end's eye, and he liked what he saw.

"Every play there's a tight end," Bowen said. "No matter what personnel they're in, there's always a tight end on the field."

That usage is central to Notre Dame's pitch. The Irish see the Elmhurst, Ill., native as a threat in the passing game rather than more of a throwback tight end, which matches how he views himself.

"They talked about me being used as a vertical threat, not just as a traditional run-blocking tight end, but used as a vertical threat to get downfield and catch passes as well," Bowen said.

"Brock Bowers, Colson Loveland, those guys, that's who I try to model my game after."

In addition to Notre Dame, Bowen’s offer sheet includes schools like Iowa, Ohio State, Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Oregon and Wisconsin among several others. 

Bowen is being recruited by different schools to play different positions on both sides of the ball, but if he ends up in South Bend, he knows where he'll line up.

"For Notre Dame, I'm definitely going there as a tight end if I do make my decision to go there," Bowen said.

Bowen also came away impressed with the people, including offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, assistant tight ends coach Harris Bivin and head coach Marcus Freeman.

"They're great guys, really impressive people," Bowen said. "The way they coach, also the way they speak about their team. Freeman loves his team. You can tell by the way he talks. He's very confident in his team. Very confident in me as a person, not just as a player."

Whenever Bowen’s junior season at IC Catholic ends, he’ll look at getting back to South Bend.

"The next step is definitely finishing up my season first, and then definitely trying to get down there again, possibly for January, sometime," Bowen said. "Just get a nice feel of it, not in a game-day environment, where I can actually go in and talk to every coach and all that stuff."

Bowen may visit Miami this week, but with the playoffs starting after that, his game-day visits are likely done if IC Catholic makes a run.

His father, former NFL safety and ESPN analyst Matt Bowen, has been a valuable sounding board through the process.

"It's great, because he gives me a lot of advice on what to look for."

Want the latest scoop on Notre Dame Football and Recruiting? Become an ISD Premium Subscriber and never miss the inside information. Sign Up for ISD

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Antigua Brink Color Pop Long Sleeve Hoodie T-Shirt