6/2/2021 football Edit

Q&A With Four-Star LB Drayk Bowen On Notre Dame Visit

Mike Singer • InsideNDSports

Recruiting Insider

Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean class of 2023 linebacker Drayk Bowen’s first recruiting visit occurred on Tuesday, as he stopped by the University of Notre Dame. Bowen, who ranks as Rivals’ No. 16 overall recruit in the country, chatted with BlueandGold.com about his time in South Bend.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football recruiting target Drayk Bowen — Bowen, Rivals’ No. 16 overall player in the class of 2023, took his first college visit to Notre Dame on Tuesday.

Blue & Gold: What did you get to do on your visit?

Drayk Bowen: “They welcomed us in. We walked around the Gug complex and they showed us around. They did a slideshow presentation of why Notre Dame — showing the academics, football and what Notre Dame is all about.

“We walked around the field, the locker room, did a photo shoot, talked to Coach [Brian] Kelly and then did a tour around campus.”

B&G: You’ve been talking to the coaches for a few months now. What was it like seeing them in person?

Bowen: “I really like all of the coaches. It was cool to put a face to the name. I got to see the coaches in-person and talk to Coach [Marcus] Freeman and Coach Kelly. That was all really cool.”

B&G: What was their message to you?

Bowen: “Coach Freeman was talking about what separates Notre Dame from the rest of the colleges out there — the academic piece but also their football. Their academics set you up for life. Coach Kelly said that I fit the criteria for Notre Dame; you have to be good in school, good at football and be a good person. That was his message to me.”

B&G: What would you say is the biggest takeaway for you from the visit? What did you learn from your time at Notre Dame?

Bowen: “It was some of the stuff they do outside of the school — internships, studying abroad and all of that. I didn’t know that about Notre Dame. I really liked that about Notre Dame.”

B&G: What’s next for you? You have a lot of baseball trips scheduled and trips to schools in between. Could you see yourself making a decision after these trips, or do you want to stretch your recruitment well into your junior year?

Bowen: “I want to see all of the colleges, put more faces to names and then go from there.”

For more details on Bowen’s Notre Dame visit and recruitment, click here.