Notre Dame's Academics Stand Out To Deion Colzie's Mother
Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Louisville, Notre Dame, Virginia, West and Virginia were some of the schools that reached out to Athens (Ga.) Academy athlete Deion Colzie on Sept. 1, which is when college coaches were allowed to directly reach out to 2021 prospects for the first time.
There were more schools that reached out too, and Colzie's mailbox was full of letters from coaches as well.
“I heard that once September 1 hits that it can get crazy, but I didn't expect how busy it was," Colzie's mother, Mrs. Yolanda Jackson, told Blue & Gold Illustrated. “It’s been amazing; I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Colzie’s family is making an unofficial visit up to Notre Dame this weekend for the Fighting Irish’s matchup against USC. This will be the talented wide receiver prospect’s fourth time visiting campus.
Jackson has a high view of Notre Dame, and she certainly wouldn’t mind her son picking the Fighting Irish.
“From the perspective of outside athletics, it would be huge,” she said. “To go to any company and say you have a degree from Notre Dame, it would put him above anyone else.
“In my visits to the school, I’ve really appreciated the academic strategy that they have in place for their athletes. It feels like where he is now. It’s a small, private school, but education is key. I remember when we visited for the first time, he said that it felt like home.”
There’s always factors to consider in the process of deciding a school, and Jackson has laid out what should be the top considerations for her son.
“I’ve told him to first consider education, and second, consider what you want as an athlete – your desires and how far you want to go on the football field,” Jackson explained. “One thing I’ve told him not to do is pick a school based on coaching, because coaching changes.”
As far as the Notre Dame coaching staff goes, Colzie’s family has had great interactions with receivers coach Del Alexander.
“If I had to sum up my experience with Coach Alexander, and it would ‘genuine.’ He never sugar coated anything with us before the offer,” explained Jackson. “He was honest with us and told us that he was evaluating everything, and Deion still had time to grow. He’s always been genuine and open with us.”
The Georgia Bulldogs have a location advantage over Notre Dame in Colzie’s recruitment, but proximity to home is not a major factor.
“The distance – we haven’t really considered that,” noted Jackson. “Because we’re looking at it from an education standpoint – and I’m not saying that he can’t get a good education at Georgia – but that’s what we’re looking at first. I’m not a fan of the cold, but I’ll brave the cold, should he end up [at Notre Dame]. But the distance doesn’t matter for us. We’ll support him no matter what.”
Colzie holds offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. But he hasn’t let any of the recruiting process get to his head.
“He’s very humble,” Jackson said. “We call it the ‘recruiting fame’ and he’s handled it very, very well. To our knowledge, he hasn’t gotten a big head about it. He still associates with everyone. His teachers, coaches, and teachers are all positive about him as an all-around kid.”
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