Drayk Hudson Bowen (born April 29, 2004) is an American multi-sport athlete who plays as an American football linebacker for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and as a baseball infielder for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Drayk Bowen
Notre Dame Fighting Irish – No. 34
PositionLinebacker
ClassSophomore
MajorFinance
Personal information
Born: (2004-04-29) April 29, 2004 (age 20)
Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight239 lb (108 kg)
Career history
College
High schoolAndrean (Merrillville, Indiana)
Career highlights and awards

Early life

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Bowen attended Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana. He played both linebacker and running back in high school. As a senior in 2022, he had 144 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions as a linebacker and rushed for 1,784 yards with 26 touchdowns as a running back.[1] Bowen won the Butkus Award, given to the top high school linebacker in the country, and was named the Post-Tribune Football Player of the Year.[2][3] He was also named the Indiana Gatorade Football Player of the Year his junior and senior seasons.[4] For his career, he had 379 tackles, 16 tackles, six interceptions, 2,969 rushing yards and 49 touchdowns.[5]

Bowen was selected to play in the 2023 All-American Bowl, where he was named the their Defensive Player of the Year.[6] He committed to the University of Notre Dame to play college football.[7][8]

College career

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As a true freshman at Notre Dame in 2023, Bowen played in 12 games and had 14 tackles. In the spring 2024, he appeared in three games for the baseball team.[9] As a sophomore in 2024, he took over as a starting linebacker.[10]

College football statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Total Solo Ast Sack PD Int Yds TD FF FR TD
2023 Notre Dame 12 0 14 8 6 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
2024 Notre Dame 5 5 22 12 10 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
Career 17 5 36 20 16 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0

References

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  1. ^ Neddenriep, Kyle. "'One of the best to ever do it.' Drayk Bowen's stellar HS career ends with loss in 2A final". The Indianapolis Star.
  2. ^ noah.bortle@nwi.com, 219-853-2522, Noah Bortle (December 6, 2022). "Notre Dame recruit Drayk Bowen wins Butkus Award for nation's top LB". nwitimes.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "The Region's first Mr. Football, Andrean's Drayk Bowen is the 2022 Post-Tribune Football Player of the Year". December 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Neddenriep, Kyle. "Mr. Football Drayk Bowen adds back-to-back Gatorade Indiana Player of Year honors". The Indianapolis Star.
  5. ^ Neddenriep, Kyle. "'Humble and Kind.' Notre Dame-bound Andrean star Drayk Bowen is IndyStar Mr. Football". The Indianapolis Star.
  6. ^ "Linebacker Drayk Bowen Named All-American Bowl's Defensive Player of the Year Award Winner". NBC Sports. January 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "LB recruit Bowen picks ND over Clemson, Auburn". ESPN.com. November 4, 2021.
  8. ^ James, Tyler. "Marcus Freeman extends ND's linebacker recruiting hot streak with Drayk Bowen's commitment". Notre Dame Insider.
  9. ^ Noie, Tom. "Why two-sport guy Drayk Bowen is such a key guy this fall for Notre Dame football at MLB". Notre Dame Insider.
  10. ^ Driskell, Bryan (July 29, 2024). "Drayk Bowen Has Some Big Shoes To Fill At Linebacker". Athlon Sports.
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