Monroe Freeling said he didn’t expect much.
The four-star class of 2023 offensive lineman from Mount Pleasant (S.C) Oceanside Collegiate Academy walked into the airport terminal in South Bend earlier this month thinking he was about to spend the day in a tiny college town without much to do. To his pleasant surprise, he thought wrong.
“You get to Notre Dame and it’s just a whole different place,” Freeling said.
The trees. The lakes. The architecture. Freeling said he fell in love with it all. He also hit it off with Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn, who he has been in regular contact with since receiving an offer from the Irish on Feb. 25.
“I feel like he’d be a great coach,” Freeling said. “He’s really old school I can tell. I know he really develops his players because the past five years he’s had an offensive lineman in every NFL Draft.”
Freeling’s June 7 visit to Notre Dame was important in the sense it was the first of a long list of pit stops other powerful programs. He went to Georgia on the 10th. Clemson on the 11th. Then South Carolina a week after those back-to-back big-name visits.
As with all 2023 recruits, Freeling has plenty of time to make up his mind. The rising high school junior still has two seasons of prep ball to worry about, but that doesn’t mean his next visit to South Bend isn’t already on his mind as well.
“I’m excited to get up for a game and really experience the Irish,” Freeling said.
Freeling has offers from around 15 schools in addition to Notre Dame. The list includes Arkansas, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
That total will continue to grow as Freeling’s cycle nears its signing day. In the meantime, Notre Dame will likely continue conversations with the 6-7, 234-pound lineman who could one day become another NFL draftee who developed at the hands of Quinn and company.
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