Notre Dame added a major defensive player to its 2023 class of recruits with the five-star linebacker Drayk Bowen made a commitment to Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish live on CBS Sports HQ. Bowen was an incoming sophomore in Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana, committed to Notre Dame over Auburn and Clemson.
When it came to it, proximity to family and friends was the primary factor for Bowen, a blue-chip linebacker. “Being absent during the summer months for many years, I became closer to my siblings and brothers and I wanted to be close to my family and watch the kids develop,” Bowen said.
With a height of 6 feet 2 inches with 215lbs, Bowen is a strong and fast athlete, which should enable him to play in a variety of roles at the next level. Industry standard 247Sports Composite ranks Bowen as the number. 28 football player across the United States and also the No. 2 linebacker in his class.
Physically strong and strong, he is a gym warrior. Multi-sport athlete that excels at the baseball field too. He has a great speed of play. He chases and closes the ball with determination and possess explosiveness on the ball when he is close to his goal. He can play several different roles since he’s been utilized as a stand-up edge defender or shift away from the inside and spread out in spaces over an opening.
He might not be as long as what schools require for an edge rusher, therefore the player is more of an old-fashioned outside backer who can attack the edge as needed. We haven’t seen him called upon to back down and cover as often as it is a component of his game that has to be assessed further, even though it appears like he is a strong enough athlete to perform that.
Bowen is among the main players of Notre Dame’s outstanding 2023 recruiting class, which ranks at No. 3 in the country. He is joined by defense offensive lineman Brenan Vernon as five-star commitments in the class of six. They Fighting Irish also have a top five recruiting class for 2022. This would be the first time such a class has been offered since 2013. It was the class that immediately was the one which was able to make it into the BCS Championship Game.