he Irish coaching staff is continuing to hit their Midwest base hard in their recruitment of Julian Love. Love, DB/WR, 5-11, 175, Nazareth Academy, LaGrange Park, IL has been a lifelong Notre Dame fan, and it’s almost surreal for him now that he’s a Notre Dame recruit.
“I never really thought about playing for Notre Dame,” Love shared. “I knew I’d always be a fan, and I would always watch them when I would be at their games, but I never really necessarily thought I could be on the field playing.”
Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s visit brought that possibility even closer to reality.
“It’s a special thing,” Love said of being a Notre Dame recruit. “If things don’t pan out, I’ll still love the school and I’ll still love the program. But if they do work out, I’ll be so happy.”
Love’s offer list includes Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Boston College among others. While the Irish have yet to offer, Coach Denbrock has made it clear that he wants the relationship to move forward.
“He told me they wanted me to get out to the Junior Day soon,” Love reported. “He got my transcripts from my school. He told me he could see me fitting in the mold at Notre Dame.”
Love has every intention of taking the Irish up on their Junior Day offer.
“That’d be a special thing,” he said of being an Irish recruit. “I guess I’d have to analyze things more thoroughly. When I was little, I looked at the big picture like ‘I’m going to Notre Dame! I’m going to Notre Dame! Now, I have to make a decision and evaluate the whole thing.”
At the Illinois camp, he was clocked at 4.53 in the forty. College coaches have generally looked at Love as a defensive back but some are now considering him as a slot receiver as well.
“Everybody offered me at DB at first, but now schools are starting to ask me if I’m comfortable playing either position, offense or defense,” he said. “I’m comfortable playing anything really. I’ll play anything.”
Love feels blessed by the early offers but he admits to feeling some anxiety before they came. He credits Notre Dame signee Mile Boykin with helping him remain positive.
“Back when I had no offers and he had like twenty, he told me I’d be up there with him and just to be patient,” Love remembered. “I always took that personally, so I wasn’t stressing about it. I was just having fun and playing football.”
Since Love isn’t necessarily dreaming of a career in the NFL, academics will play a major role in his recruitment.
“Obviously if the opportunity is given to me, I will most definitely without hesitating,” he said. “I look for academics. I look for campus size. I don’t want a really small school. I don’t want a really big school either. I just want a family environment. I look at tradition to see where the school has been and I look at the coaching staff next to see if I could relate to the coaches.”
Recruiting Week In Review - Irish Sports Daily
