SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Chad Bowden turned down an offer to become the general manager of Michigan’s football program less than a month after the Wolverines won the national championship. Now Bowden officially has a new title at Notre Dame: assistant athletic director for player personnel.
Dre Brown, previously a recruiting analyst on the Irish staff, has been promoted to Bowden’s previous role of director of recruiting. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman announced the new titles for Bowden and Brown following Thursday’s first spring practice for the Irish.
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“Consistency is so important,” Freeman said of retaining and promoting the duo. “But it’s more even more important when it’s good.
“Chad’s elite at what he does. The opportunity for him to lead our entire personnel staff is something that’s earned. He’s earned that right, and he’s doing a great job. He does such a good job at what he does. That’s not just connecting with recruits, but planning, leading a group of people and evaluations.
“I speak about Dre in the same light. He’s done a great job in his role.”
Bowden, 30, made the decision to stay at Notre Dame on Feb. 1. His career at Notre Dame started in 2021 when he followed then-defensive coordinator Freeman from Cincinnati. Bowden handled the responsibilities of defensive recruiting coordinator in an analyst position and was eventually promoted to director of recruiting when Freeman was named head coach.
Bowden has been a key cog in Notre Dame’s recruiting efforts under Freeman. He’s known for taking creative, and often comical, approaches to try to connect with high school prospects. But he’s also grown as an evaluator and decision-maker in Notre Dame’s recruiting and transfer portal searches. His new role at Notre Dame aligns with the general manager title that's become increasingly popular across college football in recent years.
Bowden’s father, Jim Bowden, spent 11 seasons as the general manager for MLB’s Cincinnati Reds (1992-2003) and four more as the general manager for the Washington Nationals (2005-08).
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Brown, 26, came to Notre Dame in July 2021 as an offensive counterpart to Bowden. Brown played running back and kick returner at Illinois (2015-19) before starting a post-playing career in college football. Brown worked as Tennessee’s recruiting coordinator for several months in 2021 before joining ND’s staff.
Brown has held a few different titles at Notre Dame. He became a defensive analyst in 2022 and recruiting analyst with a focus on high school relations in 2023.
Notre Dame currently owns the top-ranked 2025 recruiting class in the country, per Rivals, with 17 verbal commitments. Notre Dame finished with classes ranked No. 6 in 2022, No. 11 in 2023 and No. 9 in 2024 since Bowden and Brown have been on staff.
“It’s very important, the consistency,” Freeman said, “but more importantly that we have the right people, people that can do that role, and perform it at a high level.”
Notre Dame hired last year Butler Benton as its assistant athletic director of player personnel, the same title that Bowden’s been given. Benton, who the Irish hired from Arkansas after spending two seasons as the general manager for the Razorbacks, is no longer with Notre Dame’s program.
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