Notre Dame starting linebacker Drayk Bowen underwent offseason surgery to fix a torn labrum in his hip, a source confirmed to Blue & Gold on Wednesday. Irish Sports Daily was the first to report that Bowen had the surgery. ISD also reported that Bowen is expected to miss most of spring practice, though it should not affect his availability beyond that.
During Wednesday’s news conference, Freeman confirmed Bowen had a clean-up and will be limited in the spring.
Notre Dame will be glad to get Bowen back to full strength. This offseason, it wanted to retain its defensive captain, who considered declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. On Jan. 2, Bowen announced he would return for his senior season, which is expected to be his last in college football.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound thumper has become the stalwart of the Irish defense over the last two seasons. He has started every one of the last 28 games and totaled 145 tackles (73 solo stops), including 8.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks, and added three forced fumbles and six pass breakups.
Last season, Bowen led the team with 67 tackles. Pro Football Focus also awarded him with 17 quarterback pressures and 28 stops. According to PFF, a stop is a play that constitutes a “failure” for the offense. He is a routine playmaker on college football Saturdays.
Bowen’s absence this spring should open up plenty of opportunities for Notre Dame’s young linebacker corps. The Irish bring back Jaylen Sneed for a fifth season and redshirt junior starter Jaiden Ausberry. But with star junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa sidelined, the players behind Ausberry and Sneed should see increased reps during practice.
The runway is open for sophomore linebacker Madden Faraimo to make a major leap from year one to year two. The 6-2, 235-pound Faraimo came on strong toward the end of last season, logging 93 snaps over the final four games. On the season, he had 16 tackles, (8 solo), three stops for loss, two sacks and one pass breakup.
The Irish will look for fourth-year Kahanu Kia and redshirt sophomore Teddy Rezac to provide depth as experienced players and key special teams contributors. Behind them is Kia’s younger brother, redshirt freshman Ko’o Kia, who only appeared in one game last season.
Then, Notre Dame adds two 2026 class early enrollees in Thomas Davis Jr. and Kobe Clapper. They arrived in South Bend earlier this month with lots of potential, ranking as the Nos. 14 and 44 linebackers in their class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
They will all have a new linebackers coach instructing them. Last Wednesday, Notre Dame announced that defensive line coach Al Washington has taken over as linebackers coach. He replaced Max Bullough, who left the program for a promotion with his alma mater, Michigan State.