Patrick DeStefano has been waiting for this for a long time.
“I’m pumped, three days away,” the 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive lineman told Irish Sports Daily on Thursday night of his upcoming visit to Notre Dame.
DeStefano, from Dorman High School in Roebuck, S.C,. is flying to South Bend with both of his parents on Sunday and will be at Notre Dame until Tuesday.
“We’re excited to see this, we’ve always been Notre Dame fans,” said DeStefano, whose offer sheet is almost 20 deep and includes elite programs like Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Penn State, South Carolina, Stanford and Tennessee.
Even while he continues to juggle the stressful recruiting process, DeStefano is still looking for ways to improve his game. He started taking yoga classes three weeks ago.
“A weak point of my game was always my flexibility,” he said. “Every once in awhile I do have a tendency to play high and I figured the best way to get rid of that is to get more flexible. A fat kid that could actually stretch, you know what I mean?
“I’m already seeing huge difference in every aspect, not only weight-lifting, just in general strength.”
The Irish coaching staff hasn’t told DeStefano what to expect on his visit, which could be a good thing for Notre Dame’s cause.
“I’m really just excited for the surprise and I do like surprises,” he said.
DeStefano is excited to meet the Irish coaching staff for the first time, but admits the trip will double as a sightseeing tour.
“The biggest thing is Touchdown Jesus,” he said. “I really hope they let me see that.”
DeStefano will undoubtedly get to see Notre Dame’s library and he’ll also have the chance to watch the Irish practice on Monday.
“I love seeing guys strap some pads on and hit each other,” said DeStefano, who has already seen spring practices at Clemson and South Carolina. He’ll be in Durham on Friday to check out Duke, but the bulk of his visit schedule starts with the Notre Dame trip next week.
He’ll head to Tennessee later in the week and will be at Penn State next week. He’s also in the process of setting up spring visits to Arkansas and Florida.
“I’ll have a lot more visits coming up this summer,” he said. “It’s a blessing though, it really is.”
DeStefano isn’t sure when he’ll make a decision, but after this visit, the Notre Dame staff could be hoping it’s sooner than later.
