The coaching carousel has stopped spinning for head coaches at the top of Power Five level, at least for now. But there are still plenty moves left to be made for assistant coaches moving to different programs.
This is something Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy class of 2023 wide receiver Carnell Tate is keeping a close eye on as he inches closer to making his college commitment.
“I’m definitely paying attention to it,” he told BlueandGold.com. “You have to see where each coaching staff lands before you make your decision.”
Notre Dame made headlines for its moves in the coaching carousel with Brian Kelly bolting for LSU and Marcus Freeman taking his place as the new Irish head coach. The two coaches leading the charge in Notre Dame’s pursuit of Tate have been offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and wide receivers coach Del Alexander, who are still on the Irish staff. Tate speaks highly of both.
“He’s a great guy,” Tate said of Rees. “He’s been there since day one when I was a scrawny freshman. Our relationship has always been very strong. My family and I considered him to be like family.”
“Same with Coach Alexander – he’s been there since day one since Rees has been recruiting me. He’s like family to me too. We talk about a lot of stuff – not just football.”
Tate made a plan to visit Ohio State Nov. 20 when the Buckeyes blasted Michigan State 56-7, but he considered visiting Notre Dame instead that day. He came up with the idea of keeping his Ohio State visit locked in and visiting Notre Dame the following day to hang out with the coaching staff.
“Columbus was my originally planned visit, but Notre Dame is close to home, so I figured why not just go up there again,” Tate added. “I’m close enough to the [Notre Dame] coaches to just go up there and hang out and even necessarily do a whole recruiting visit.”
Tate has been a regular at Notre Dame this year, going back to the spring when he took a self-guided tour of campus. He visited three times in June and saw the Irish fall to Cincinnati Oct. 2. His Nov. 21 visit was his sixth time at Notre Dame.
“It was about building a stronger relationship and checking up on my guys and see how they’re doing,” Tate said of his visit. “We also went over some film.”
Tate is familiar with a couple Irish recruits who have been in his ear about teaming up with him in South Bend. Class of 2022 quarterback signee Steve Angeli threw with Tate earlier this year, and class of 2023 linebacker commit Drayk Bowen has met Tate on visits.
“They’re great,” Tate said. “Steve and I did well in 7-on-7 together, and I could see myself playing at the next level with him. Drayk is a cool guy to hang around too.”
Tate originally planned to commit a few months ago in October but didn’t feel ready to make an early decision. He would like to take five official visits in the April-June period before committing to a school.
“I’m not necessarily focused on a commitment date,” he added.
Notre Dame would likely be on on Tate’s official visit list, and whenever he does make his college decision, the Fighting Irish will be a finalist.
“There’s a great interest; I’m up there constantly,” Tate said about Notre Dame. “They’ve been there since day one. It’s a great school academically, and you get the combination of great education and great athletics. That catches my eye big-time. And who doesn’t want to play on national TV all the time?”
This past fall was Tate’s first action on the gridiron since his freshman year in 2019. Tate’s home state of Illinois did not have football in the fall of 2020, and Tate transferred to IMG Academy the following spring. Stats are not available for IMG Academy and Tate battled some injury, but he looked good when he was out there.
Tate is a different player when comparing him from his freshman year to his junior campaign.
“I got better at everything,” Tate said. “My speed, footwork, agility, hands, quickness – everything. Being at IMG tests you and pushes you to be the best with the defensive backs we have. I’ve played against some great corners this year.”
Rivals ranks Tate as the nation’s No. 14 player and No. 3 wide receiver in the 2023 class. Notre Dame and Ohio State are considered the teams to beat for Tate, but he’s also interested in the likes of Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee and others.
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