Bowen aims for an undefeated season, leaving no doubt. He leads a revitalized Irish defense with his final ride.
Notre Dame finished last season, defensively, on a high note holding eight of their nine opponents to 20 points or less. Three of those opponents, Boise State, NC State and Syracuse were held to seven points while Arkansas, Navy and Boston College were held to less than 14 points. After a horrific start, the defense turned around and played like an elite unit to close out the 2025 season.
A big part of their turnaround was the play of middle linebacker, and captain, Drayk Bowen, who returns for his fourth and final year in South Bend. It was a rollercoaster of a ride for the Indiana native last season and it ended with the Irish being left out of the College Football Playoffs. This year, the team mantra 'Leave No Doubt' resonates deeply with their returning middle linebacker.
"I don't want to ever leave it in the hands of somebody else," Bowen explained. "I'm going to make sure that this team is ready and that we're working as hard as we can to make sure that there's not one loss in the column. There's going to be nobody else that can take it away from us, and there's no reason that they can't put us where we want to go."
Bowen is one of two returning captains from the 2025 roster with the other also being on defense in safety Adon Shuler. This year, the 6-2, 232-pound linebacker won't have to do it alone. With Shuler coming back and the ascension of Carr, the player-led leadership on the team should be outstanding in 2026.
"He's the leader out there," Bowen said about Notre Dame's redshirt sophomore quarterback. "Everybody listens to him. He carries himself a certain way, not just on the field, but outside of the facility as well. He's getting people in here on a Saturday morning, or later in the afternoon to go over routes and to watch film with the receivers, tight ends and lineman. The way he communicates with people is exceptional."
"He knows everybody and gets to know everybody," Bowen continued about Carr. "He jokes with people; he does everything that a captain does with the way he leads. He's a vocal leader, everybody respects him. He's the quarterback, but he's more than just a quarterback. He's the dude that's going to get to know you. He's going to do the extra work, even by himself, but then with other people. He's going to bring people along with him, so he's got a lot of experience."
The defensive staff in South Bend underwent some significant changes this past offseason with three new defensive assistants joining the staff. One of them is Brian Jean-Mary who is the new linebacker's coach. It didn't take long for Bowen to get acclimated with his new position coach.
"He's been coaching a long time, so he's seen a lot of different things," Bowen explained. "One of the biggest things that he's helped me with is understanding where to go, what I can do in certain fits, what formation offense is showing and how that's going to affect past games. Being able to talk with him and sit in the film room with him and ask questions and tell me different things that he's seen over the years has been a huge part of this offseason."
The Notre Dame defense has the talent, leadership and experience to be one of, if not the best, unit in the country this upcoming season. If this group aspires to win a National Championship, they'll need this group firing on all cylinders. Having a player like Bowen shoring up and leading the defense for a third straight year isn't something a lot of other teams in the country can say that they have.
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