Why Notre Dame LB Drayk Bowen has JD Bertrand to thank for outstanding progress

The Notre Dame days of JD Bertrand , Marist Liufau and Jack Kiser collectively orchestrating Al Golden’s defense are gone. Now, an influx of young talent featuring Drayk Bowen , Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Jaylen Sneed is ready to take over the reins in 2024.

Still, that does not mean Bertrand, Liufau and Kiser’s combined impact from the previous two years has been completely erased. Actually, it is more of the opposite.

Although Bertrand and Liufau forwent their final year of collegiate eligibility in favor of the NFL Draft —Kiser returned to South Bend for a sixth season — Golden should still feel the ripples of their legacies on this year’s squad.

Because of the experience and talent Bertrand, Liufau and Kiser brought Golden’s unit, Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator did not have to rely on Sneed and Bowen regularly in 2023. Meanwhile, Viliamu-Asa was only a verbal commit and still in high school one year ago.

Things are different in 2024.

Despite rather limited snaps compared to their elders, Sneed, Bowen and Viliamu-Asa have routinely flashed their physical potential this offseason. Their eventual impact handling the schematic and mechanical parts of the defense — which Bertrand, Liufau and Kiser all specialized in — has been less evident.

That is where Bowen has begun to separate himself.

In addition to his roles as a reserve, special teams standout and scout teamer, the 6-foot-2, 239-pound Bowen spent his freshman year as Bertrand’s understudy. Now, Bowen is reaping the benefits of his patience and has a good grasp of the defense. He and the rest of the Irish defense have Bertrand to thank for that.

“When you looked at him, you just kind of respected him,” Bowen told reporters on Saturday. “You knew he was the captain. That part of him was something that I really looked up to. I asked a lot of questions to him about the playbook, about how to watch film, how to lead. Different stuff like that.

“Being around JD last year and him knowing so much ball and now Jack this year is really helping me learn the game better.”

How sophomore linebacker Drayk Bowen learned the Notre Dame defense

Bowen did not have to become a student of a game in 2023. He is also a talented baseball prospect. Instead of enrolling early, he could have pursued a state championship during his final high school baseball season. But he chose to move to South Bend and begin learning from Bertrand.

While he did practice with the Irish baseball team last year, the sole focus of his first semester on campus was to become acquainted with college football. With Bertrand’s help, he did.

He became a sounding board for the newcomer, helping him learn the defense. Bertrand fielded plenty of questions about checks and other finite details that Golden’s defense requires. One year later, Bowen has it down. And it’s finally helping him play faster ahead of this season.

“I feel like I’m at that point now where I’ve learned everything,” he said. “I kind of know where everything is supposed to be. So, now I’ve just got to go.”

It’s go-time for Bowen

Now that Bowen fully understands his assignments, linebackers coach Max Bullough has challenged him to broadcast his knowledge. According to Bowen, Bullough has specifically told him that he needs to be more vocal and an on-field leader.

Kiser echoed Bullough’s message, emphasizing that being more forthright does not mean being long-winded.

“It can be two words,” Kiser said. “Marist, JD and I played five years together and we were able to do that: ‘Hey, you saw that?’ ‘Yep.’ ‘All right.’ Moving on. ‘Hey, alert the split.’ That’s all that needs to be said.

“There’s not a huge dissertation that goes with that. So in spring practice and even now, that’s where you have those conversations of, ‘How do you talk and communicate with one another? Make sure they’re on the same page as you?’ That way, when you get into a live rep, like, hey, everybody’s on the same page, and you’re rolling.”

In about two weeks, Notre Dame will be rolling into College Station, Texas, with experience in the secondary and the trenches. Aside from Kiser, the linebacker corps is still young.

As a result, Bowen will have growing pains. But most of them should not be mental. Bowen has paid his dues, and it will begin paying off for the Irish this season.

“He’s smart,” Kiser said. “He runs to the ball. Big hustle guy. The big thing about Drayk is he doesn’t make the same mistake twice. That’s something, too. You can count on him. He’s trusted.”

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