It’s been over a month since the nation’s top-ranked linebacker in the 2023 class was on campus at Clemson, but the profound impression that the Tigers made on him hasn’t worn off.
Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean five-star Drayk Bowen visited Tiger Town on June 9 and left campus feeling a great vibe from his time around the football players and staff.
One thing about the program in particular sticks out to Bowen the most when he reflects on his visit experience.
“The huge family atmosphere,” Bowen said to The Clemson Insider. “The players could go to the coaches, and they all connected with each other really well.”
Bowen (6-2, 215) spent a substantial amount of time with defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brent Venables, who rolled out the orange carpet for the No. 1 linebacker in the country per the 247Sports Composite rankings, giving him a personal tour of the campus and facilities and showing him all the bells and whistles of the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex.
Bowen has been building a strong relationship with Venables and continues to stay in touch with him on a regular basis.
“Coach Venables asks how my family is doing and then baseball,” said Bowen, a two-sport standout who also shines on the diamond, “and tells me how everything is going with him and hopes to get me down to a game this year.”
Returning to Clemson during the upcoming season is something Bowen intends to do.
“We would be going back in the fall for a game,” he said.
This past weekend, Bowen narrowed down his list of more than two dozen scholarship offers when he released a top 12 that included Clemson along with Auburn, Indiana, LSU, Michigan, NC State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech.
Where do things stand with Bowen in the recruiting process now that he has trimmed his list of suitors?
“I have to go to a couple more schools and then go from there,” he said regarding his decision timeline, “but I call coaches every week from each college.”
Bowen said he doesn’t have any visits scheduled at this time.
A 2023 Under Armour All-America Game commitment, Bowen is the No. 1 linebacker and No. 25 overall prospect in the 2023 class regardless of position, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
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