Injury report: Notre Dame DT Gabriel Rubio, LB Drayk Bowen out Week 1
Notre Dame freshman linebacker Drayk Bowen and junior defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio are out for Week 1 vs. Tennessee State, the team announced Saturday.
Irish coached Marcus Freeman announced Rubio’s impending absence at his weekly press conference Monday. The junior DT will be out “a couple weeks” with a knee injury, per Freeman.
Bowen’s absence was not known. Notre Dame did not disclose the nature or extent of Bowen’s injury (or if it’s an injury at all, for that matter) in its release.
The Fighting Irish face Tennessee State in their home opener Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET at Notre Dame Stadium on NBC.
Background on Notre Dame LB Drayk Bowen
Bowen made the depth chart as the second-string middle (or “Mike”) linebacker in his first season with the Irish. He impressed in fall camp after coming in as a highly-touted recruit from Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean, where he was named Mr. Football in Indiana.
Bowen was the No. 103 player and No. 9 linebacker in the class of Indiana, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He committed to Notre Dame over offers from Ohio State, Oregon, LSU and Clemson, among others.
The freshman did not play in Notre Dame’s 42-3 win over Navy on Aug. 26.
Notre Dame does not have a third Mike linebacker listed behind Bowen and graduate student JD Bertrand. Sophomore Vyper Junior Tuihalamaka has played Mike in the past. Sophomore Nolan Ziegler was projected to be the second-string Mike heading into fall camp, but he has been absent from the team with a personal issue since early August.
Background on Fighting Irish DT Gabriel Rubio
From BlueandGold.com recruiting writer Kyle Kelly:
The 6-foot-5 1/4, 306-pound Rubio signed with the Notre Dame football program out of Saint Peters (Mo.) Lutheran of St. Charles County in the 2021 recruiting cycle. He finished as the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 120 overall player, No. 15 defensive lineman and No. 2 prospect in Missouri in his class.
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As a freshman, Rubio made his Notre Dame debut against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2022, and had a tackle. Last season, he played 10 games and had 17 total tackles, six of which were solo. He also recorded four tackles for loss.
His career-best game featured seven tackles against Stanford on Oct. 15. He also added a half tackle for loss in that outing.
Rubio, who played in his 12th game for the Irish last week, had one tackle in the victory. He played 19 snaps and also recorded two quarterback hurries, one of which led to a sack for sophomore Vyper Joshua Burnham. Rubio’s tackle came after a 7-yard rush by Alex Tecza.
According to Pro Football Focus, Rubio also had a missed tackle against Navy. His Pro Football Focus 59.0 defensive grade ranked 17th out of 24 defensive participants. His 22.2 tackling grade was last among the 22 players graded.
The Notre Dame depth chart lists Rubio as the second-team defensive tackle behind Howard Cross III. Cross was tied for fourth on the team with four tackles against Navy. Sophomore Donovan Hinish and junior Jason Onye also saw reps at defensive tackle last Saturday.
