For the Notre Dame vs. Clemson game Nov. 7, Notre Dame 2022 linebacker commit Nolan Ziegler from Grand Rapids (Mich.) Catholic Central was one of a handful of Irish pledges on campus to take in the atmosphere, although they couldn't attend the game.
Other Irish commits on campus were offensive lineman Blake Fisher, wide receiver Jayden Thomas, tight end Mitchell Evans and safety Justin Walters, all of whom are in the 2021 class.
Ziegler made his way to campus from Grand Rapids and walked around campus with some of his teammates from Catholic Central.
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Ziegler and his friends got to experience a bit of what a Notre Dame game day experience is like, even though tailgating was not permitted and there were not nearly as many fans on campus.
After being on campus for a few hours, Ziegler and his crew headed over to former Notre Dame offensive lineman Braxton Cave’s home in South Bend. Cave, a family friend, answered questions Ziegler had about attending Notre Dame and what it’s like to be a Fighting Irish football player.
The Michigan native and his teammates headed back to Grand Rapids before kickoff and watched the game from home and loved what they saw from the Irish on Saturday night.
“It was so great to see Notre Dame get the win. It was such an exciting game” Ziegler said. “It makes me really excited to be a Notre Dame player.”
Ziegler said that he was intently watching the play of Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton and rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
“I was really watching Hamilton to see what he does in pass coverage and Owusu-Koramoah for what he does closer to the line of scrimmage,” Ziegler added. “His strip and touchdown were awesome.”
All eyes were on Notre Dame and Clemson on Nov. 7 and Ziegler was not the only one that took notice of the impressive Notre Dame performance. On many levels, the 47-40 win over the Tigers further cements Notre Dame’s place as one of college football’s elite programs.
Recruiting is one of the aspects of the win that is expected to be changed the most. Blueandgold.com recruiting insider Mike Singer caught up with dozens of Irish targets who were ecstatic to see Notre Dame pull off the upset. See their thoughts as well as more from Nolan Ziegler on the win, here.
Rivals ranks Ziegler as the nation's No. 28 "athlete" and No. 10 player in the state of Michigan for the 2022 class.
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