Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MAY 2019 37 BY DAVID MCKINNEY Notre Dame added a second piece to its 2021 recruiting class March 27, when Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Acad- emy offensive guard Greg Crippen announced his commitment. Crippen took a visit to Notre Dame March 21, watched an Irish spring practice session and committed to the coaching staff the following day, before announcing publicly a few days later. The 6-4, 270-pounder said it was one of the easiest decisions he's ever made. "There's nothing else out there that interests me other than Notre Dame," Crippen said. "Notre Dame is the place I want to be." Crippen added that offensive line coach Jeff Quinn and the prestige surrounding the school sealed the deal for him. "Coach Quinn and my relation- ship with him was huge," explained Crippen. "Notre Dame is a great aca- demic school that's going to help me a lot in the future, and football is go- ing to end someday." Quinn made an early impression on Crippen over the phone, even though there are strict limitations on how much contact coaches can have with underclassmen prospects. During Crippen's latest visit to South Bend, Quinn made an even bigger impres- sion when the new Irish commit saw him in action on the practice field. "We'd been talking a lot on the phone, then I saw him coach," Crippen explained. "I love how he coaches, and I really connected with him. I understand what he's saying." Overall, Notre Dame, both on and off the field, was just too good of an opportunity for the Massachusetts native and former Milton (Mass.) Academy standout to pass up. "I love everything [about Notre Dame]," Crippen said. "It seems like they're going to really develop me into something I want to be someday." Crippen added that he's also looking forward to playing under head coach Brian Kelly when he finally arrives in South Bend for the 2021 season. "He's very easy to talk to," Crip- pen said. "He expects a lot out of you and that's something I really like." With his commitment, Crippen steps into an offensive line room at Notre Dame that is rich with history, hoping to add to the legacy of the po- sition under Quinn. Crippen is well aware of the tradition in the trenches at Notre Dame, and hopes he'll be remembered along with players like Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey, Ronnie Stanley and Zack Martin. "I want to be someone they talk about someday," expressed the tal- ented blocker. "I want to go in there and show what I can do." Coming from IMG Academy, a top high school program rife with Division I prospects across multiple sports, Crippen will almost certainly be ahead of the game when he arrives. Current starting right tackle Rob- ert Hainsey, an IMG graduate who signed with Notre Dame in the class of 2017, advised Crippen that the IMG to South Bend path is the right one. "Everything we do there is college- like," Crippen explained. "I talked to Robert Hainsey and he said it was a good transition from high school to college, and that's very good." With his own recruitment in the rear view mirror, Crippen said he'll be doing some recruiting of his own, including fellow 2021 offensive line- man Landon Tengwall, for whom the Irish are currently in the lead, and 2020 IMG teammate Michael Redding, a Ri- vals100 wide receiver who took an un- official visit to Notre Dame March 28. But mostly, Crippen said he will spend the next two seasons working to perfect his craft before heading off to college. "I need to get better in my tech- nique and get stronger," Crippen said. "So hopefully when I get to Notre Dame I can play right away. That's my goal." The future Irish offensive lineman said he's happy and relieved to have the recruiting process out of the way early enough to give him two full seasons to focus on nothing but foot- ball and his personal development. "A lot of people like playing this recruiting game and it can become very stressful," Crippen said. "I just want to become the best I can at IMG, go to Notre Dame and kick butt." Of course, just because he's given a verbal commitment doesn't mean schools that also want Crippen in their 2021 class, including Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan, will stop recruit- ing him. But Crippen wants to assure Irish fans they needn't worry about the allure of any other programs that may continue to pursue him. "Nothing comes close to Notre Dame," Crippen said. ✦ FILM ANALYSIS Strengths Greg Crippen is quite powerful for his age, but has the frame to get bigger and stronger … Fires off the ball with authority, keeps his pads low and consistently wins the leverage battle … Shows well above average foot quick- ness and athletic skills, which helps him thrive in space and on movement blocks … Natural in pass protection; quick feet getting into his sets, agility allows him to mirror defenders effectively, and natural power gives him a strong punch … Shows positional flexibility that should improve as he matures his game. Areas For Improvement Crippen is still quite young and growing, so he must work to maintain his flexibility while getting bigger and stronger … Must do a bet- ter job consistently driving his feet through contact … Like most young players he must continue to improve his hand timing and tech- nique … At times he comes off too high when pulling. — Bryan Driskell COMMITMENT PROFILE GREG CRIPPEN Nothing Came Close To Notre Dame For 2021 Offensive Guard Crippen — a 6-4, 270-pound Massachusetts native who now attends Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy — was also being pursued by Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan, among many others. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM