Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County class of 2021 tight end and Fighting Irish commit Cane Berrong has been to Notre Dame three times. His first experience was for Irish Invasion last June, and he returned to South Bend for the Virginia and USC home games.
During those trips, his path wasn’t able to cross with Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly.
Berrong had a close relationship with former Notre Dame tight ends coach Chip Long, who was relieved of his duties in December. Long was really the only coach Berrong kept in contact with from Notre Dame, leaving Berrong in a state of limbo.
But since then, it has been a staff effort by Notre Dame in recruiting Berrong, who affirms he is solid with his Irish pledge. New tight ends coach John McNulty has been in more communication with Berrong than Long was, and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, recruiting coordinator Brian Polian and running backs coach Lance Taylor have all been in contact as well.
And on Wednesday afternoon, Kelly had a FaceTime call with Berrong, which was their first real conversation.
“It was great,” Berrong told BlueandGold.com. “We talked about how I’m doing with this whole quarantine stuff and it was just a great conversation.
“He asked me about what my hardest subject is in school, and I told him Math. He said that I don’t have to worry about that and we’ll grind that out. Notre Dame really focuses on communication skills and writing and things like that.”
Also on the FaceTime call was Berrong’s mother, Jennifer, and his younger brother Chase, a quarterback in the 2024 class.
“He’s a good guy,” Berrong added. “He talked to my mom and little brother, too. He told my brother to keep throwing the rock to me.”
Berrong is scheduled to speak with McNulty on a video call this week.
“We’re building that relationship,” he said of his future position coach. “Everything has been good.”
Rivals ranks Berrong as a four-star prospect, the No. 25 recruit in Georgia and the No. 12 tight end nationally.
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