On one hand, Sun Prairie (Wis.) High class of 2022 defensive end Isaac Hamm receiving an offer from Notre Dame was a surprise. But on the other hand, it wasn’t.
Hamm, a 6-6, 265-pounder, has had good contact with Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston and staff for “quite a while” but had a process to go through academically before receiving the scholarship.
“They basically told me that as an athlete and football player that they would’ve offered me when I was in 8th grade, but they wanted to see my grades get boosted this school year,” Hamm explained. “If I could improve my grades, then I’d have a scholarship offer coming my way. So I knew I needed to get that done.
“I have all A’s right now, sent that in to Notre Dame and that’s what did it for them. I kept my end of the deal, so they kept theirs.”
Hamm spoke with Elston on Monday and received the scholarship offer. Even though Hamm held up his end of the “deal,” it was still a surprise for him to hear the news of the offer.
“I asked him if he saw my grades recently, and he said, ‘Yeah, that’s why I’m calling you.’ That just blew me away,” Hamm said. “I was not expecting that. I thanked him a lot. It’s a crazy good opportunity. They’re at the top of my list for schools – most definitely.”
Adding Notre Dame to his offer sheet was a big moment for Hamm. Despite not having visited South Bend yet, he understands the magnitude of his latest offer.
“It’s just huge because it’s a great school with a great tradition and is a top of the line program,” he noted. “Everything there is outstanding.”
Hamm holds eight offers in total with seven Big 10 schools after his services and the Irish now on his list. He’s receiving interest from several other schools and would like to see a few SEC schools throw their hats into the ring.
“Now that I have Notre Dame and some other big names, I think I’m going to get more offers with the season coming up soon,” he said.
Notre Dame joined Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue and Nebraska on his offer sheet.
Hamm is considering narrowing down his list of schools this fall but doesn’t plan to make a decision any time soon.
“I’m letting the process take me where it takes me,” he stated.
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