2023 three-star OG Joe Otting announces Notre Dame commitment
Quick commits on the offensive line have been Notre Dame’s mode of operation in the 2023 recruiting cycle. On Tuesday, it happened again.
About a month after earning an Irish offer, three-star offensive lineman Joe Otting announced his commitment to Notre Dame. The Topeka (Kan.) Hayden Catholic product is ND’s 14th commitment in the class and third on the offensive line.
With Otting's pledge, the Irish moved back up to No. 1 in the Rivals team rankings.
Otting’s commitment comes three days after participating in Notre Dame’s lineman’s challenge camp, his second visit to South Bend. Previously, he attended Notre Dame’s 55-0 win over Georgia Tech on Nov. 20. His first impression sparked a strong interest in playing for the Irish.
“Notre Dame has been one of those schools that I’d say is like a dream school kind of thing,” Otting told Inside ND Sports on May 23. “Me and my family were excited to go up there and experience it.
“It was cool seeing all the history and tradition there, seeing how nice campus and everything was and the great atmosphere there.”
Since offensive line coach Harry Hiestand’s returned in January, Otting is Hiestand’s third commitment and second to happen in about a month.
Four-star lineman Sam Pendleton chose the Irish in late April after his mid-March offer. ND offered Otting at his school in early May before Tuesday’s announcement. Its other O-line commitment, Sullivan Absher, picked ND last month after an October offer from the previous staff.
In Otting’s case, his relationship with Hiestand has become increasingly stronger over the last month.
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“Our communication has been great,” Otting said. “We’ve been building a relationship ever since then. He came to the school. I’ve talked to him more. Really great coach, really great dude.”
Notre Dame beat out schools Otting previously visited, including Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska, for the No. 6 player from Kansas. Otting intended to officially visit Kansas State (June 10) and Iowa (June 24), but those are unlikely to happen because ND’s no opposing official visits policy for commits. He intends to officially visit Notre Dame the weekend of June 17-19.
Pending his signature, Otting will be the third player the Irish have signed from the Sunflower State in the Rivals era, which began in 2002. Before Otting, Notre Dame landed Brian Smith (Overland Park) and Jafar Armstrong (Shawnee Mission) in the 2007 and 2017 classes, respectively.
Currently, Rivals does not have Otting rated in the overall or offensive guard rankings. However, he’s ranked as the top offensive lineman from Kansas and one of the top 10 offensive guards in the Midwest.
"The thing I love most about Otting is his raw athletic ability and upside," Rivals national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove said. "He is explosive, has great bend, a high motor and a high level of nasty to him.
"It is hard to get a read on his pass-blocking ability due to the offense that his high school runs, but when you see his athletic display on the basketball court, you can see that he will be more than capable from an athletic standpoint. Otting has a chance to be a great player for the Irish."
As a junior, Otting earned Kansas 3A first-team All-State accolades in football. The three-sport athlete at Hayden Catholic is also a standout on the varsity basketball and track and field teams; he throws shot put, javelin and discus.
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