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Elite 2023 OL TJ Shanahan Breaks Down Notre Dame Offer

Orlando (Fla.) Timber Creek’s TJ Shanahan is one of the top offensive line prospects in the 2023 class. Rivals ranks the 6-5, 300-pounder as a four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 50 overall player, and he holds an eye-popping amount of scholarship offers for being a sophomore in high school.

“I got my first offer from UT-Martin in December of 2019, and the University of Florida offered the following April,” recalled Shanahan. “I have 40 offers now; Notre Dame was my 38th. It’s just a blessing.”

When he received his offer from the Fighting Irish on Feb. 26, it caught Shanahan by surprise.

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Orlando (Fla.) Timber Creek offensive tackle and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football recruiting target TJ Shanahan
Rivals lists Shanahan as the No. 50 overall prospect in the class of 2023.

“Yeah a little bit — my coach was talking to them,” Shanahan said. “Around 7 p.m., I was able to talk to them. I didn’t wake up that morning thinking I was going to get an offer from Notre Dame. It’s a prestigious school; to get an offer from them means a lot.”

Shanahan received his offer from Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn. They have spoken since, including on St. Patrick’s Day last month for the Irish’s “Pot of Gold” recruiting day.

“We talked for about 30 minutes,” said Shanahan about the offer conversation. “I feel like he’s a great guy. That first conversation was one of the best I’ve had with a coach. He said all of the right things — stuff I wanted to hear. It’s Notre Dame — that offer means a lot.

“There are a lot of great things at Notre Dame. He was explaining that it’s not just about football. I learned some things about Notre Dame that I didn’t know before the call. It’s a blessing to be offered by Notre Dame, to say the least.”

Shanahan has big plans for when the dead period presumably ends at the end of May. He plans to hit some of the in-state schools, such as Florida, Florida State and UCF, plus hit schools farther from home, like Notre Dame, USC, Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State and Oklahoma.

“I’m counting the days until May 31,” he said. “I hope they don’t push it back any further. As soon as the dead period lifts, Notre Dame will be one of the first schools I’ll look at going to.

“I just want to take as many visits as I can and the most time that I can to make the best decision for myself to succeed at the next level.”

Shanahan’s older brother, Michael, is an offensive lineman at UT-Martin.

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