The second stint for Harry Hiestand at Notre Dame hit a milestone Monday.
Since rejoining the Irish in January, ND’s offensive line coach has only offered two players in his position group in the 2023 class. The most recent one resulted in his first received commitment.
Four-star Sam Pendleton from Pfafftown (N.C.) Ronald Reagan High School announced his commitment to Notre Dame on Monday. Hiestand offered Pendleton on March 16, and the 6-foot-5, 293-pound junior standout visited campus on April 9. Pendleton chose the Irish over top contenders Florida, Michigan and North Carolina State.
One visit was all Pendleton needed to choose Notre Dame. Before the Irish offered, they were the only team he hoped to hear from but had not. Finally, Hiestand offered, cleared the air and resonated with the No. 21 offensive tackle once they met in person. Shortly after that, Pendleton shut down his recruitment and chose Notre Dame. The Irish checked all the boxes.
"Regarding education, the biggest thing that I took away from the visit is that Notre Dame will set you up for the rest of your life if you put the work into it,” Pendleton told Inside ND Sports on April 9. “They put a lot of emphasis that if you do well in school and get your degree, that will help you after football. (Head) coach (Marcus) Freeman likes to say it's not a four-year decision; it's a forever decision.
"For football, they are traditional, which I am looking forward to in a school. They have a lot of emphasis on doing things together."
Pendleton furthered his explanation behind his Notre Dame commitment after today's announcement.
"They're just a big family," he told reporters afterward. "Ever since I stepped foot on campus, it's been education and after football. They prioritize the things in life that carry on after football. That's a big reason why. Also, it's an offensive line university. I want to go be developed and play for the best. I think Harry Hiestand is the best."
While Pendleton was Hiestand's priority, Freeman played a big role in his recruitment as well. Notre Dame's head coach has led the charge for the team's latest commits and it's paying off. Pendleton's pledge increased the Irish lead in the 2023 Rivals team rankings. They are up to 10 commits in the class, including four on offense.
"I tell people all the time, coach Freeman is a position coach as a head coach," Pendleton told reporters today. "He's really close to everybody and he's not fake. Players can walk down the hallway and talk to coach Freeman just like it's any other day. He's not some guy you have to schedule an appointment with, he doesn't have a secretary."
"He's just another guy and he's just another coach to be simple. But he also has that head coach swagger to him. He leads well. He speaks well. He really motivates the guys well."
Pendleton’s commitment is the latest the Irish have added their first offensive lineman in a recruiting cycle since Tosh Baker, a four-star recruit in the 2020 class, announced his Notre Dame pledge on May 9, 2019. Previously, the Irish had secured an offensive line commitment before April 25 in 14 of the last 15 classes.
In the modern recruiting era — which began with the launch of Rivals in 2002 — the Irish only signed one offensive lineman from North Carolina (Mark Harrell, 2012). Harrell was on Hiestand's first offensive line during Hiestand's previous stint with the Irish from 2012-17. Notre Dame signed kicker Bryce McFerson out of Indian Trail (N.C.) Metrolina Christian Academy in the 2022 class.
Distance was never a significant factor for Pendleton in his recruitment.
"I am looking for a school that has selfless players and has that kind of atmosphere where you're playing for each other,” he said on April 9. “I want to see that in the coaches and followed by the players. I want really good coaches with integrity and who really stand for what they're saying. They have a lot of wisdom too.
"Education is important. I don't want to go to a school where you're just dedicated to the football team. I want to be able to go somewhere and take my major and what I do in life to be accepted by football. I am looking for a team dynamic that I'd fit in.”
Hiestand covered most of the basis.
"He has a lot of wisdom with the game,” he said. “Not just in football but also in recruiting and on the next level. He is very personal with the way he coaches. I got to sit in on his Saturday morning offensive line meeting (when I visited). He does a great job of being super personal in things a specific player needs to fix. Also, the things they need to fix as a whole — not just football, mentality-wise."
Now that Pendleton's recruitment is over, the Irish have high hopes for the role he can play in the class.
"They really expressed to me that I am a puzzle piece kind of guy," he told reporters today. "A leader, especially for the 2023 class, being the first offensive lineman committing there. I am the guy that is going to bring the guys in and pull them together. I can fit in so many different places. I am not just a one-position guy. I am a guy, who can go in wherever I need to be. That's my goal in college — to go in whenever they need me."
Editor's note: Jacey Zembal from NC State Rivals was in attendance at Reagan High School for Pendleton's announcement and helped contribute to this report.
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