Why 2023 Cornerback Christian Gray Views Notre Dame As Solid Fit
Chrsitian Gray went to Notre Dame’s Irish Invasion camp earlier this month with his sights set on a scholarship offer, and that’s just what he went home with.
The class of 2023 four-star corner from St. Louis De Smet Jesuit also went home with a solid recruiting experience.
“The camp was really great,” Gray said. “I loved the drills. I love how they approach the game. I love how they prepare and how they develop people as players and in school.”
De Smet has become a pipeline of sorts for Notre Dame. The Irish landed wide receiver Jordan Johnson — who has since transferred from the program — from there, and class of 2023 De Smet tight end Mac Markway is considered a Notre Dame lean as well.
“We talk about Notre Dame every time when we see each other,” Gray said of Markway.
Former De Smet coach Robert Steeples landed a job with the Minnesota Vikings in April. He led De Smet to a state title in 2019 and led the program to a 29-4 record of his final three seasons. He even interviewed for Notre Dame's vacant cornerbacks coach position in 2020, but Mike Mickens got the job.
“He was a great, great, great mentor to me,” Gray said of Steeples. “He taught me new ways how to develop my skills and how to commit myself to the things I love and the things I need to do in life.”
Gray will spend the final two years of his high school career without Steeples in his ear on the sidelines. But should he sign with Notre Dame, he’d be rejoining what he views as an impressive coaching staff once again.
“The coaches (at Notre Dame) were really nice and humble,” Gray said. “It was great to meet them. I like their personality and how they talk about the game. They love the students to come first. The classroom comes first. They want you to get a degree first and then football.”
After his early June weekend in South Bend, Gray had visits planned to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kentucky. He also went to Ohio State, a program he said he has always dreamed of playing for.
According to Rivals, Gray has scholarship offers from at least one school in every Power 5 conference except the ACC. He’s bound to receive plenty more in the next year and a half. Of those, though, Notre Dame will always have some selling points the others can’t provide.
“The campus was really good, really great,” Gray said. “The coolest thing I saw were Touchdown Jesus and First Down Moses and the golden dome that’s really made out of gold.”
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