Notre Dame QB Commit Drew Pyne Talks Official Visit
New Canaan (Ct.) quarterback and Notre Dame commit Drew Pyne took his long awaited official visit over the weekend. Pyne has visited South Bend more times than he can count, but the all-expenses-paid trip hosted by Notre Dame is always a special trip.
"It was awesome," Pyne told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "It was the most guys from our class to be together in one spot probably ever. Every time you visit Notre Dame, it reassures you that you made the right decision. I loved every second of it."
In BGI's conversations with a handful of Notre Dame commits, all of them have said a highlight of the trip was getting to meet some of their future teammates. In total, 10 Irish commits attended the game, and Pyne enjoyed getting to chat with them.
"I met Alexander Ehrensberger for the first time and that was really cool," said Pyne. "I met Xavier Watts, Rylie Mills, and Michael Carmody for the first time. I talked to Will Shipley and a few guys in the '21 class as well."
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Notre Dame landed commitments from a pair of top 100 nationally class of 2021 receiver prospects in Deion Colzie and Lorenzo Styles over the weekend. Pyne was pumped up about that news.
"That was awesome too," Pyne said. "I actually talked to Deion right before he spoke with Coach Kelly. All of the sudden, he walks out and he's committed. It was really cool and we'll take as many good receivers as we can. I'm really excited about those guys."
Pyne got to meet some of Notre Dame's 2021 class for the first time on Saturday at the game.
"I didn't run into Cane Berrong, but I met Tyler Buchner, Gabriel Rubio, and Blake Fisher," said Pyne. "Blake is ginormous; he told me he has about 60 pancake blocks so far this season. All of those guys were great."
Talking to all of his future teammates excited him about the future of the Irish football program, but also about that Notre Dame is getting off the field as well.
"What sets Notre Dame apart from everywhere else is that every kid there valued education and being a part of a family," Pyne explained. "It really shows in every way. I'm really excited, and like I said, it reassures that Notre Dame is the right place."
Of course, Pyne got to spend time with quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees, offensive coordinator Chip Long, and the entire coaching staff. Pyne has been committed to Notre Dame for a year and a half and has been recruited by the coaching staff for a long time.
He's talked about everything with his future coaches that there is to talk about. It's just time for Pyne to get to South Bend, and he will in January as he's enrolling early.
"They were great as usual," Pyne said. "I have no clue how many times I've been to South Bend the past three or four years. In two or three months I'll be there as a player. There's only so much you can talk about as a recruit. It's more about checking in and make sure everything is going well. I'm really excited to learn from them. Just watching them coach on the field on game day is really special. I can't wait to be one of their students."
Pyne, who ranks as the No. 5 pro-style quarterback in the country, loved the atmosphere of Notre Dame Stadium.
"The stadium was packed and playing USC is an unbelievable rivalry," Pyne said. "Going on the player walk and being in the stadium is something that is very special. I really think it has the best tradition in all of college football. Every time I step into that stadium, I get the chills, and I think that's something that will never leave me.
"Not only is Notre Dame great academically and has great people, but the football portion isn't too bad either. That stadium is very special and so are the fans."
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