WATCH: Notre Dame commit Drayk Bowen scores 3 TDs in state championship
Notre Dame commit Drayk Bowen was the best player at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday during the Indiana Class 2A state championship game between Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean and Evansville (Ind.) Mater Dei.
Starring on both side of the ball, Bowen scored all three touchdowns for Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean as it won its third state title 21-9.
His first touchdown was his longest, and most impressive, touchdown of the day. On his way to the end zone, he bounced off a defender like a basketball on hardwood.
In the fourth quarter, Bowen had the game-changing play of the game. He strip-sacked the Evansville (Ind.) Mater Dei quarterback and then ran the ball in from two yards out on the next play to score the game’s final touchdown.
His final stat line on the day: 24 carries, 171 rushing yards and three touchdowns on offense, plus six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and the strip-sack.
Drayk Bowen is the No. 52 overall recruit in the country, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also a top baseball player and will be playing both sports in college.
He chose Notre Dame over Auburn and Clemson earlier this month, telling On3’s Chad Simmons that the athletics-academic combination of the Fighting Irish was impossible to beat.
“Notre Dame is just different,” Drayk Bowen said. “I see them preparing me for life, and not just helping me in sports. Notre Dame is just the place for me.”
He is the fourth-best linebacker in the 2023 class behind Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab four-star Jaiden Ausberry, Tampa Jesuit (Tampa, FL) four-star Troy Bowles and Denton (Texas) Ryan five-star Anthony Hill
Bowen is also the top player in the state of Indiana, according to On3 Consensus.
Bowen entered the championship game with 99 tackles and three interceptions on defense and 794 rushing yards, 117 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns on offense.
“I think his versatility is attractive to a lot of schools,” Andrean coach Chris Skinner told the Indianapolis Star. “When you look at his frame, you are kind of like, ‘He’s really 215?’ He’s not wiry, but you can tell he can put on more weight. I know a lot of schools label linebackers as inside or outside, but a lot of schools recruiting him had him at both depending on how they see him fitting in and how his body changes.”