Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, wide receivers coach Del Alexander and special teams coordinator Brian Polian were in Central Massachusetts early Thursday afternoon for a visit with their wide receiver commit Jay Brunelle.
The Irish coaches spent time with Brunelle and his family at his high school and got to go out and each lunch together. The day was enjoyable for the playmaker from Shrewsbury (Mass.) Saint John's.
"It was all positive," Brunelle said of his time with his future coaches. "They highlighted my story was different than some of the other recruits. They were really appreciative of how patient I was during the process and I appreciated how genuine and honest they were. We were just all glad that we've been on the same page."
The elephant in the room was the news that broke yesterday regarding Chip Long leaving Notre Dame, but Kelly addressed it with Brunelle and his folks.
"Coach Kelly brought it up and said that these things happen," recalled Brunelle. "You don't pick Notre Dame because of a particular coach; you pick it for what it's going to provide for you and after college. It doesn't affect my decision and I'm solid with Notre Dame."
After Kelly said his piece regarding Notre Dame's offensive coordinator situation, Brunelle had no further questions and felt comfortable with his head coach's plan.
"He brought it up and nothing much was said about it after that," explained Brunelle. "I understand where he's coming from and understand the situation. It wasn't a big deal during the visit."
Brunelle noted that he hasn't been hearing from any other schools and will be signing on National Signing Day Dec. 18. He will enroll at Notre Dame Jan. 10.
"I'm trying to enjoy these last few weeks of high school and soak that in, but at the same time, getting mentally prepared for January," said Brunelle.
Brunelle, who ranks as the No. 7 recruit in the state of Massachusetts, picked Notre Dame over Boston College, Michigan, UCLA, West Virginia and others.
----
• Talk about it inside Rockne’s Roundtable
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @BGI_MikeSinger, @CoachDeDario and @AndrewMentock.
• Like us on Facebook.
