Reports surfaced in the spring that Pickerington (Ohio) Central wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr. may be wavering in his commitment to the Fighting Irish that he gave last October.
In a Zoom interview with BlueandGold.com, Styles affirmed that he is solid with his pledge.
“I’m 100 percent with Notre Dame right now,” Styles said. “I feel really good with my recruitment.”
Other schools have worked to get him away from his commitment to the Irish — including Michigan — but Styles is respectful in telling college coaches that he is solid with Notre Dame.
“A little while ago, my phone was just ringing a lot because schools were able to call you,” Styles said. “I’m just honest with coaches and tell them I feel really comfortable with Notre Dame. Taking visits to Notre Dame was the biggest thing in my recruitment.
“I’m not taking any other visits. I feel really good with where I’m at with my recruitment.”
The Notre Dame staff is recruiting Styles just as hard as they did before he committed. Keeping him committed and landing his signature come December is a key to the Fighting Irish’s 2021 class.
“Coach [Brian] Kelly actually just texted me while we were on this interview,” Styles said. “Me and Coach [Del] Alexander talk a lot, and I’ve been hearing from Coach Kelly every couple of days. We have a really good relationship.”
Along with continuing to build an already strong relationship, the Notre Dame staff and Styles are conversing about what’s next.
“It’s just me being up there, and what my role will be and what I need to do to prepare for that,” Styles said about his communication with the staff.
Styles wants to leave Notre Dame a better place than he found it and also become a better man.
“I’m always going to go 100 percent on and off the field,” he said. “I really want to train hard but also shine a positive light on the University of Notre Dame. I don’t know how I’m going to do that yet — just giving back and using my platform to doing something more than football.”
Styles helped lead Pickerington Central to a Division I state championship in 2019 and is working out with his team to start their quest to achieve a third title in four years.
“I feel like I’ve learned a lot more over the past year,” Styles said. “I’ve been able to get my feet better, getting in and out of cuts. That’s something I’ve really been working on.”
With his Notre Dame commitment in hand, Styles doesn’t need to focus about impressing anyone. His focus is on leading his team.
“For personal goals, I just want to set those aside,” Styles stated. “I’m just thinking about the team. I want to win another state championship — bring it back to the city.”
Rivals ranks Styles as the nation’s No. 7 wide receiver and No. 39 overall prospect.
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