With Notre Dame’s head coaching change, recruits were able to flock to South Bend over the weekend for a second official visit, thanks to NCAA rules. 18 of Notre Dame’s 23 commitments were on campus, including Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic quarterback Steve Angeli.
Angeli has natural leadership qualities, which bode well for him at the quarterback position. The other Irish commits gravitated towards him all weekend. The Under Armour All-American had a great time with his future teammates.
“Everyone was committed and locked in,” Angeli said of his fellow commits during the official visit weekend. “We were all having a great time. It was laid back because we’re all solid and signing day is around the corner. We had a lot of fun.
“Being with all of the guys – meeting Tobias [Merriweather], Junior [Tuihalamaka] four of the five offensive line guys and more. I hadn’t met a lot of them before. We have a really strong and special class. They’re all such great people with awesome families.”
Recruits have expressed that there’s a new energy in the Guglielmino Athletics Complex since Marcus Freeman was named head coach.
“It’s like a work hard, play hard type of vibe,” Angeli put it. “They have some good fun. There’s time for jokes and breaks, but they get a lot done and do the work that’s necessary.”
A highlight of Angeli’s official visit experience was sitting in on a quarterback meeting with offensive coordinator and position coach Tommy Rees and the Fighting Irish signal callers.
Rees put Angeli to the test on the white board to see his football acumen. He asked his quarterback commit to draw up his favorite play on the white board. Per Angeli, it went well.
“I drew a high-low drive concept with an over-the-top post,” Angeli said. “It’s a play I threw a touchdown pass against Seton Hall. He asked me some questions about it – which routes I’d throw based on coverages.”
Rees’ testing of Angeli didn’t stop there.
“He went through film and drew up one play, then erased it,” continued Angeli. “He told me to draw that play up, and I got it right. That was a pretty cool challenge, and it was fun seeing how it works. I can’t wait to get going with them.”
The recruits watched the team have their first bowl practice on Saturday. Angeli’s biggest takeaway from watching the Fighting Irish team up close wasn’t necessarily about the quarterbacks.
“The quarterbacks were all great and threw the ball really well, but one thing I noticed was how efficient the receivers are with their landmarks and their route progression,” Angeli noted. “They’re always in the right spot where the ball should be thrown. It’s so crisp and quick.”
National Signing Day is less than two days away, and Notre Dame’s 2022 class doesn’t seem to have any uncommitted targets left on the board. However, two Irish receiver commits – Ponchatoula (La.) High’s Amorion Walker and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei’s CJ Williams – are being courted by other schools, mainly Michigan and USC, respectively.
Angeli has communicated with them both about why they should stick with the Fighting Irish.
“This program is heading into a new era,” Angeli noted. “This offense is evolving with the guys coming in our class and the current freshman class. The ball is going to be thrown around a lot. We’ll make sure we get the ball to them and let them do their thing. With Coach Rees having full control [of the offense], there’s going to be a lot of good that comes out of that.”
Angeli, an Under Armour All-American, committed to Notre Dame over offers from Boston College, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and others back in March.
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