Five-star Sonny Styles recaps latest Notre Dame visit
The headliner of Notre Dame’s visitor weekend for its 34-6 victory over Navy Nov. 6 was Pickerington (Ohio) Central’s Alex “Sonny” Styles, the nation’s No. 6 overall player for the 2023 class.
The elite defensive athlete has been a regular in South Bend since visits opened back up in June, with him visiting once over the summer and twice so far in the fall. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the nation’s No. 1 “athlete” back on Notre Dame’s campus by the end of the year, too.
His most recent visit was another success.
“It went pretty good,” Styles told BlueandGold.com. “It was good to go see such a historical game. I didn’t know how much history was behind that game until I asked Coach [Chad] Bowden and Coach [Marcus] Freeman about it.
“We got to go to the top of Touchdown Jesus and see the whole campus. That was a beautiful view.
“I got to see my brother, so that was great. I had a really good time. My guy Drayk was there as well; that was good.”
Styles’ older brother is Irish freshman wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr., who caught one pass for 13 yards. He also mentioned Drayk, who is of course recent class of 2023 linebacker commitment Drayk Bowen from Merrillville (Ind.) Andrean. Bowen and Styles are two of the Irish’s biggest linebacker targets in the cycle.
Styles wasn’t surprised to see Bowen choose the Irish over Auburn and Clemson.
“When I saw the top three, I figured he was going to Notre Dame,” Styles said. “I got the feeling it’s a great fit for him there. I’m really happy for him.”
Bowen and Styles spent a good bit of time together for Notre Dame’s matchup with Cincinnati Oct. 2, and following that visit, Styles told BlueandGold.com that Bowen was a guy he’d want to play with.
Now Bowen is on Notre Dame’s commitment list, and he hopes that Styles joins him in South Bend, but he won’t be pushy about it.
“Ever since he committed, Drayk talks a little bit about it, but he wants me to find the right place for me just like he found the right place for him,” Styles added. “He can recruit me by just being himself. He’ll attract people to want to play with him.”
It’s the Irish coaching staff’s job to recruit the elite five-star prospect, and Styles loves the connection he has with them, especially defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and defensive director of recruiting Chad Bowden.
“Their message is always that they want me there,” Styles said. “They want me to be one of the guys to lead the class. Over the course of my recruitment, I’ve built a great relationship with them. That’s going to play a big part when I make my decision – relationships.”
Styles has a top-five schools list of Clemson, Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Ole Miss. It seems that a final decision from him will come in the next few months, but it would be a surprise if he committed during his high school’s playoff run this season. Central plays in the second round of the Ohio Division I State Tournament this Friday.
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