How Chad Bowden and the Notre Dame football recruiting machine keep making connections

SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football’s recent victory over national champion Michigan in a tug-of-war for recruiting director Chad Bowden was especially good news for Micah Gilbert.

The early enrollee from Charlotte (N.C.) Christian smiled last week when asked for his favorite recruiting story about Bowden, Marcus Freeman’s highly regarded wingman who helped the Irish corral the four-star wideout and his high school teammate, five-star defensive end Bryce Young.

“Me and Bryce, we had a little thing,” Gilbert said in advance of Wednesday’s National Signing Day, a formality for Notre Dame after its Dec. 20 haul at the early signing date. “Chad was supposed to jump in the lake when me and Bryce committed.”

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That classic Bowden deal-sweetener was promised nine months ago when the talented tandem from North Carolina committed in the days just after the Blue-Gold Game.

“We’re still going to try to get him,” Gilbert said. “We should have done it when it was cold.”

Rather than march directly out to one of two on-campus lakes, St. Joseph’s or St. Mary’s, the trio has turned the unpaid debt into a long-running conversation. With Bowden, who followed Freeman from Cincinnati in 2021 and was promoted to his current role in early 2022, the communication never stops.

“Chad is amazing at his job,” Gilbert said. “We all have great relationships with Chad. He truly cares for us. It’s not just the ‘we got here, and Chad’s gone.’ No, we still talk to Chad. We know he cares for us.”

The 'fearlessness' of Chad Bowden

With two-thirds of Notre Dame’s 2024 signing class already on campus as early enrollees, Bowden and Dre Brown, director of high school recruiting, are still checking in on the budding young prospects they helped bring into the fold.

Whether it’s gaming through marathon sessions of “Fortnite,” dressing up as FBI agents or the school’s leprechaun mascot on sub-freezing Junior Days or sending well-timed text messages that bring a smile to a teenager’s face, Bowden and his recruiting staff know how to connect.

That’s how Notre Dame’s 2025 recruiting class is already ranked first nationally with the early signing period more than 10 months out.

“He’s far from afraid to do stuff,” Cam Williams, a four-star wideout from the Chicago area, said of Bowden. “We’re happy to still have him.”

The term Gilbert used: “Fearlessness.”

“Energy” is another word that keeps coming up in discussions of the 29-year-old son of former baseball general manager Jim Bowden, known for his brash comments and history of blockbuster trades with the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals.

“With Chad, it’s his care and just how much passion he has behind it,” Williams said. “You walk in a room, and he makes you feel like you’re wanted, like your presence is important. Always 1,000 out of 100 energy level with that guy. That’s what I like. That’s what I need. He’s really outgoing.”

Anthonie Knapp, a freshman offensive lineman from Roswell, Ga., echoed that sentiment.

“You meet Chad, it’s like you’ve known him forever,” Knapp said. “That’s the good thing about Chad. He shows that he cares. He has all these recruits, and we all love him. He’s a big part of the recruiting process. He knows when to be serious and when not to be serious. He’s very creative.”

At Cincinnati, when the Bearcats were recruiting a player named “Tank,” Bowden convinced Freeman to show up for the home visit in full military general’s regalia, helmet and all. An actual tank may or may not have been rented for the occasion.

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“We didn’t get the kid, and I remember saying I will never, ever dress up for a meeting again,” Freeman said in December on Notre Dame’s in-house podcast. “Those are the ideas that he brings. He is innovative. There are no boundaries for where his mind goes.”

Peter Jones, a freshman offensive lineman from Malvern, Pa., shook his head and grinned upon hearing Bowden’s name.

“He’s wild,” Jones said. “He’s wild. He’s wild.”

Yes, three “wilds” for the man who once brought down the house by using virtual pompoms to “kill” the enemy in a “Fortnite” streaming session with Irish recruits.

“He’s just got so much energy,” Jones said. “He can relate to players, which is really nice. He’s super-relatable. He’s really good with families, too, just building that relationship.”

Bowden is more than happy to discuss academics or the “Four for Forty” mantra with parents at a moment’s notice.

“I remember he chatted with my mom for like 30 minutes one night,” Jones said. “They just went on and on and on. He’s probably one of the nicest guys I’ve met. He’s probably one of, if not the best in the business.”

How Chad Bowden connects with Notre Dame recruits

That same unflagging curiosity and personality has paid dividends in the transfer portal as well.

Wide receiver Kris Mitchell, the grad transfer from Florida International, had positive associations of Notre Dame from its recent recruitment of his younger brother Jon, a Penn State cornerback and 2024 signee.

“It came down to Notre Dame and Penn State,” Mitchell said, “and (the Irish) were recruiting him really hard.”

When it was the elder Mitchell’s turn to find a new program in early December, Notre Dame unleashed the charm offensive.

“Once they found out I was entering the portal, Chad Bowden hit me up and was telling me to get up (to South Bend) on a visit,” Mitchell said. “They really liked me a lot. Coach Freeman actually directly texted me, saying he was really interested in me. It felt really genuine. It just felt like home off the bat.”

Fellow wideout Jayden Harrison, a two-time transfer who previously played at Vanderbilt and Marshall, shared a similar experience from his whirlwind recruitment in early January.

“Chad is a great guy,” Harrison said. “He was the first one to reach out to me once I got into the portal. Very enthusiastic. He called me and we talked, and you could hear it in his voice. He was eager to get me up here. Like, immediately. He was ready.”

Even for a hardened veteran of the college recruiting scene, the extra attention made an impression.

“It feels great,” said Harrison, an All-America kickoff returner last fall. “I just felt wanted. That was a big part in my decision. He reached out to me and he knew that it was a good opportunity from a genuine standpoint, not just because he wanted me at the school.”

Kimberly Harrison also spoke with Bowden.

“He connected with my mom,” Harrison said. “My mom really liked him.”

Bowden’s superpower, it seems, is an ability to hold a conversation without it seeming like a sales pitch.

“There are some guys you’re talking to, and it’s like, ‘Ah, yeah, they’re here to recruit,’ “ said Styles Prescod, a freshman offensive lineman from Fishers, Ind. “Obviously, Chad is doing his job, but it feels more personable. It feels like a personal connection. When someone has a good vibe, it just makes the place more fun.”

Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for NDInsider.com and is on social media @MikeBerardino. Staff writer Austin Hough contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football has a genuine recruiting asset in Chad Bowden