Butkus Award Winner Drayk Bowen officially signs with Notre Dame
In a world of recruiting where commitment flips are so prevalent, Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean’s Drayk Bowen has been a breath of fresh air.
The four-star linebacker committed to Notre Dame over Ohio State, Clemson, LSU, Tennessee and others in November of 2021 and never looked back. Not only did he not entertain other programs after making his commitment, he was the public face of the Irish’s 2023 recruiting class and was very active in recruiting other prospects to Notre Dame. Bowen visited for every Notre Dame home game this fall.
Bowen put pen to paper and officially signed his letter of intent on National Signing Day, making his longtime commitment official. He will enroll at Notre Dame in January.
On the field, Bowen is as productive as they come. He performed at a high level on both sides of the ball this fall, recording 144 total stops, 19 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 5 passes broken up, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 blocked punt. Offensively, he had 242 carries for 1,784 yards and 26 touchdowns, plus 10 receptions for 228 yards and 3 scores.
Bowen’s high school career was nothing short of sensational. In 55 career games, he recorded 379 tackles, 54 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 6 interceptions, 6 passes broken up, 6 fumble recoveries, 10 forced fumbles, 4 blocked punts and 3 blocked field goals. He also added a fumble recovery score and 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns across his career.
He didn’t play much offensively as a freshman and sophomore but did his final two seasons at the prep level. He ran 424 times for 2,969 yards with 49 touchdowns. He also caught 34 passes for 494 yards and 7 touchdowns.
He also amassed 379 tackles and 59 total touchdowns. Oh, and he also was his team’s punter for the past three seasons.
Bowen, who will play in the All-American Bowl in January, is the nation’s No. 86 overall player and No. 7 linebacker according to the 2023 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the top player from the state of Indiana.
MaxPreps named Bowen its 2022 Indiana High School Football Player of the Year. The 6-1.5, 233-pounder earned Indy Star 2022 Mr. Football honors.
He was announced as the high school Butkus Award winner, which goes to the top linebacker in the country. Many (La.) High’s Tackett Curtis (USC), Denton (Texas) Ryan’s Anthony Hill and Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln’s Raylen Wilson (Georgia) were the other finalists.
It’s been a heck of a career for Bowen, and he’ll look to continue his football — and baseball — success in South Bend. He could play in the infield or outfield for Shawn Stiffler‘s program.
