April 21, 2015
Chuck Kyle: Harry Hiestand Is Personable
Andrew Ivins
BlueandGold.com
Cleveland St. Ignatius head coach Chuck Kyle knows a thing or two about the college football recruiting process. The two-time USA Today High School Coach of the Year has spent the past 32 years watching the parade of college assistants coaches make the rounds at St. Ignatius.
He has had kids commit to Ohio State and he has had ones commit to Notre Dame. But in recent years, the trend has been favoring the Irish.
Sunday, St. Ignatius three-star offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg committed to Notre Dame.
Eichenberg, who was also considering Ohio State, is set to become the St. Ignatius product to sign with Irish in the past two years, joining former offensive tackle Jimmy Bryne, who like Eichenberg was considering the Buckeyes, before picking Notre Dame.
While it might seem like a bit of anomaly for the Irish to steal two top linemen from Ohio State's backyard in the span of just a few years, Kyle claims that there's a reason why his players are crossing state lines for school, and it starts with Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, who was the primary recruiter for both Eichenberg and Bryne.
"Harry is a very personable, caring and excellent teacher and I think our kids understand that's important at the next stage in their career," Kyle said. "They need [and wanted] someone that cares about them. Football is only for a certain number of hours a day, but at Notre Dame there are classes and things that impact their future, and I think Harry has a very good perspective on that."
Hiestand, who was hired by Notre Dame in 2012, has quickly developed a reputation as a top recruiter when it comes to the offensive line. Since the 2013 class, he has signed eight offensive linemen ranked as a four-star prospects or higher by Rivals.com. He's already set to add to that number this cycle with Cincinnati Elder four-star tackle Tommy Kraemer committed and he could double up if Eichenberg sees a jump up in the rankings.
"Harry's an excellent offensive line coach and he has shown that over the years," Kyle said. "I just think the kids realize that, and that they will develop and mature nicely with him."
Kyle Talks Eicheneberg…
While it's well documented that Ohio State offered Eichenberg before he even played a varsity snap of football, Kyle claims he always knew that the 6-4, 285-pound tackle had the talent to play at the next level.
Kyle first saw Eichneberg when he was playing basketball as an eight grader, and saw the potential right then and there to be an elite lineman.
"Liam is obviously a big strong guy, but the nice thing about him is that he's obviously athletic and that's why I think offensive tackle is a great place for him. He always offered to do some defense too, but we try to platoon, and he was just a natural fit at tackle," Kyle said. "He has played right, he has played left, but most of the time it has been on the left. If you're playing on that side of the line with a right-handed quarterback he's kind of important."
Eichenberg is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 37 offensive tackle in the country and No. 16 player in Ohio for the class of 2016.
