Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic quarterback and class of 2022 Notre Dame commit Steve Angeli took his long-awaited official visit over the weekend and met offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, head coach Brian Kelly and others for the first time.
The four-star recruit, who is rated as the No. 4 player in New Jersey and the No. 12 pro-style passer in the country by Rivals, went in depth about his time in South Bend.
What were the biggest highlights for you on the trip?
Angeli: “One was definitely being able to sit in the meeting room with Coach Rees and my family and talking about what he looks for in quarterbacks, what he wants me to do in the offense, what he expects from me when I’m there, and how I’m supposed to carry myself on and off the field. That was awesome.
“Another one was sitting in Coach Kelly’s office and meeting with him. We talked about football but also life. Strengthening that relationship was awesome. Going to Coach Kelly’s lake house was an awesome experience – seeing the beautiful lake and his house. We hung out with the recruits, the families, the coaches and some of the players.
“A highlight was hanging out with Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner. We had a really good time hanging out, and I soaked up as much information from them as I could. I talked to them about how it was early enrolling and how they’ve been preparing for camp coming up.
“Being with their mental performance doctor [Amber Selking] was awesome. The exercises we did were crazy. It speaks to the resources they have. Spending time with Coach Balis in the weight room was really awesome too.”
Tell me more about Coach Rees. Was he everything you thought he’d be from your phone, Zoom and text message conversations with him?
Angeli: “100%. He showed a lot of love to me and my family. He made me feel at home and really excited to be out there with him. I can’t wait to start working with him and to play for him. He’s a funny guy also.”
Can you share any tidbits from the meeting with him that stood out in your mind?
Angeli: “Definitely going through the qualities he wants in a quarterback. Everyone in that room is going to be able to throw the football and have the physical traits, but it’s the mental side that sets people apart – having laser focus, confidence, and some of those traits. That was really good.”
Tell me more about meeting Coach Kelly for the first time.
Angeli: “Coach Kelly was everything and more than I thought he’d be. He’s an incredible man and coach. My family and I have the utmost respect for him; I loved spending time with him and talking to him about life. He is awesome and made me feel so comfortable with him.”
You visited with your parents and two brothers. What did they think of the official visit?
Angeli: “They loved it. During the opening breakfast, Coach Kelly spoke straight form the heart and everything he said were core values I have in my life from my family. He touched on a lot of things that I strongly believe in.
“Everyone from the coordinators to the student recruiting people, the message of everything they stand for trickled down and everyone has the same mission. My family absolutely loved it from the start. If all they heard during the visit was Coach Kelly’s opening statement, it would’ve been great.”
You got to meet a few other commits and a handful of targets. How did it go from your perspective?
Angeli: “Josh [Burnham], Eli [Raridon], Nolan [Ziegler], Holden [Staes], Donovan [Hinish] — finally being able to meet the other commits at our future home was great. This class is going to be super special with the commits we have and the relationships we’ve built. This is exactly who I’d want to be playing with and spending my college football days with. It couldn’t have gone any better meeting those guys.
“Some of the targets we had with Xavier [Nwankpa], Cyrus [Moss], Nick [Singleton], Carson [Hinzman], Joe [Brunner], Aamil [Wagner] — it was such a great group. Those guys were awesome as well. I had great times talking with Elic [Ayomanor] and Nicholas [Anderson]. These are all great guys who I’d love to play with.”
Is there anything else about the visit that we didn’t cover that you’d like to mention?
Angeli: “Being with the players was awesome. It was really cool seeing all of the Jersey guys — Clarence [Lewis], Jayson and Justin [Ademilola], Shayne [Simon] — talking to them. We’re all from the Jersey and chose Notre Dame. That was a really good highlight for me.”
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