Groton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy class of 2022 offensive tackle Ty Chan landed an offer from Notre Dame on Aug. 19, and the Irish jumped to the top of his list. Despite not taking a recruiting visit to the school, the four-star prospect locked in an early commitment to the Fighting Irish.
“They have the best of both worlds for me,” Chan told BlueandGold.com. “Coach [Jeff] Quinn is a really nice guy. I like him not only as a football coach but as a person I connect with well. I did the Zooms with them — more football first and then the second one was academics. The academic presentation looked really nice to me.
“I can’t wait to be a part of the Notre Dame family.”
Chan is Notre Dame’s fourth commitment of the 2022 class, joining fellow offensive lineman Joey Tanona, linebacker Nolan Ziegler and tight end Jack Nickel.
Lawrence Academy head coach Jason Swepson was a running back for Boston College from 1988-92 and coached for the Eagles from 1999-2006. Swepson knows and appreciates the impact Notre Dame has when recruiting a private school in the Northeast.
“When you mention Notre Dame, it’s worldwide known,” he said. “It’s tough for me to say that as a BC guy, but when Notre Dame steps on your campus, everyone turns their head. Only a few can say that they get offered by Notre Dame; that’s the clout that it brings to the table.
“Ty and his family are very excited about Notre Dame. It’s not a Northeast school and Notre Dame had to do their research to find us. The whole community here said, ‘Wow.’”
Boston College and Penn State badly wanted Chan, too, but offensive line coach Jeff Quinn beat out the other programs with his Notre Dame pitch.
“I’ve known Coach Quinn for a long time,” Swepson added. “He’s a very good coach. What Notre Dame also did very well was talk about Notre Dame and not just Notre Dame football — that was important to Ty. There were a couple of schools that led with football and it turned Ty off.
“Notre Dame and Coach Quinn did an outstanding job talking about Notre Dame — not the football program. That really got Ty’s interest.”
Chan also held offers from Boston College, Duke, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Virginia and William & Mary.
Rivals ranks Chan as the No. 2 player in Massachusetts, and the nation’s No. 27 offensive tackle and No. 189 overall prospect in the 2022 class.
“He has all of the intangibles — the height, size, agility and the best thing about him is that he’s a piece of clay,” Swepson said. “He’s not one of these guys who has been to a bunch of camps where these ‘O-line gurus’ give you techniques.
“That’s why a lot of college coaches love him; they know they can shape him into their system with no bad habits.”
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