Notre Dame football recruiting in the 2028 class features several elite targets for head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish, but 2028 Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate Conception athlete Grant Bowen stands above the rest on my board.

The 6-4, 220-pound playmaker checks every box this Notre Dame staff has prioritized over the last couple of recruiting cycles: length, versatility, and elite athleticism. It doesn’t hurt that he has great genetics on his side, either.

Bowen is rated as the No. 52 overall player, the No. 3 athlete, and the No. 4 player from the state of Illinois for the 2028 class according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. This is a rare recruit who could potentially play linebacker, tight end, or defensive end at the college level. For Notre Dame, they view him as a tight end, a player who can operate out in space, line up in the slot, and do a lot of unique things within the offense.

There is a reason why the likes of Notre Dame, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Texas, Florida, Oregon, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Miami have been pursuing Bowen heavily.

Why Bowen’s film stands out

When you turn on the film from his sophomore season, the production is staggering for a player his age. Bowen hauled in 34 receptions for 731 yards and 11 touchdowns. On defense, he added 55 tackles, six tackles for loss, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and two interceptions. This is truly an elite athlete who can do pretty much anything he wants on a football field.

His father is former NFL safety Matt Bowen, who played in the early 2000s. The elder Bowen also played for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and with how Iowa has consistently developed great tight ends over the last decade or so, pulling a player like Grant away from that program, as well as some of the other top teams, will not be easy. That is a legitimate hurdle for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame’s path to landing Bowen

Despite the Iowa connection and that demand, I love where Notre Dame is early on in this recruitment. This is a talent the Fighting Irish must do everything possible to keep at home. Bowen comes from the same high school as current Notre Dame defensive end Dominik Hulak, who signed with the program in the 2025 recruiting class. That pipeline matters, and it gives the Irish staff a natural connection to lean on.

When you watch Bowen move out in space for a player his size, it’s remarkable to think about what he could do in the Notre Dame offense. Whether it’s making plays after the catch, breaking the seam, lining up in the slot, or working the boundary in single wide receiver looks, the upside is tremendous.

The bottom line

If Bowen was listed as a tight end on the recruiting services, I think he’d have a strong argument to be the best one in the class. If he was listed as a linebacker, the same story. That versatility even carries over to defensive end. If you told me he ends up being one of the elite football players in the 2028 class regardless of where he lands, I would fully believe you.

For all the great players on the board for Notre Dame right now, and there are several top ones that I am a huge fan of early on, Grant Bowen is my favorite. The talent is there, the genes are there, and the fit is there. This is one that I have on my wish list for the Fighting Irish to finish in the end. Bowen is that good of a football player.