Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1143622
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2019 39 BY MIKE SINGER Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County class of 2021 tight end Cane Berrong had a lot to compare to Notre Dame. In 2019 alone, Berrong took visits to Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Penn State and Virginia Tech. But it was his time in South Bend that was by far his favorite visit and led to the four-star prospect and Rivals' No. 6 tight end nationally making an early commitment. Berrong visited for the weekend of June 9 and participated in the Irish Invasion, which is Notre Dame's big prospect camp of the summer. The 6-4, 225-pounder knew that Notre Dame was the best place for him after spend- ing time there. "After I visited, I felt that this was the school I wanted to go to," Berrong said. "I took a lot of trips [to other schools] and Notre Dame just stood out. So I went back to my high school and told my coach, and he just basi- cally told me to wait a couple of weeks and if you feel the same way, then come back and talk to me. "I still felt the same way and didn't want to waste any more time." Berrong, who is also ranked as the No. 2 tight end and No. 61 overall re- cruit in the country by 247Sports, ran a laser-timed 4.53 in the 40-yard dash at the All-American Bowl National Combine in January. He hauled in 31 catches for 497 yards and three touch- downs during his sophomore season. From the beginning of Berrong's re- cruiting process, the Irish stood out to him. Even as he was landing big-time scholarship offers earlier this year, he still coveted Notre Dame and set up a visit for Irish Invasion with the goal of impressing the coaching staff. "At the time I signed up for it, I didn't have an offer, so I wanted to get up there and see Notre Dame and all of the history and tradition," Berrong explained. "I wanted to ball out and get an offer." Berrong received good news from Notre Dame much earlier than ex- pected, though. On Feb. 15, offensive coordinator Chip Long informed him that he could add an Irish offer to his list. "I really grew up watching the movie 'Rudy' and it was just a dream offer," the Peach State standout said. "The academics are just awesome. If you go to Notre Dame for four years, it sets up your life for the next 40. It's a great school." From there, Berrong and Long built a strong connection. Per NCAA rules, college coaches can't initiate phone calls to football recruits until Sept. 1 of their junior year of high school. Ber- rong is able to call Long as much as he likes, though, and did so at least once every couple of weeks. "We have a really good relation- ship and we connect really well," Ber- rong said. "He's from Birmingham, Alabama, so we're both from the South and have a good connection." Long received a pleasant surprise when he received the call from Ber- rong with the news of his commitment June 21. "I caught him off guard and he was excited," Berrong noted. "I like that he played tight end, and that he coaches tight ends and is the offensive coordi- nator." Getting a degree from Notre Dame played a role in his recruitment, as did his connection with other Fighting Irish tight ends. "The academics are what sold me, and I talked to some of the players," he explained. "I talked to Jay Bramblett for a couple of hours. I talked to Brock [Wright] and Cole [Kmet]. I'm really comfortable around the players and it was my best visit." Berrong has a year and a half to go until he'll be able to sign with Notre Dame. What will that timespan look for him in terms of his recruiting pro- cess and commitment to the Irish? "I'm shutting it down," he an- swered. "I talked to my coach, and we talked about it — if I was going to commit somewhere, I'm done. I'm 100 percent committed to Notre Dame." ✦ FILM ANALYSIS Strengths Cane Berrong is an athletic, long, young tight end that covers a lot of ground at the snap and can stretch the field … Once his body fills out his speed should take another jump, which will make him an extremely difficult matchup for linebackers … Excellent ball skills allow him to win one-on-one battles, and his toughness combines with his pass catching skills to allow him to thrive at making difficult plays in traffic … Shows a natural feel for finding soft spots against zone defenses … Fluid athlete that possesses quick feet and good body control. Areas For Improvement Has a young body that will need to continue filling out … Competitive young player and willing blocker, but adding strength will be key for him the next two years … Must work on improving his release off the line and being a bit sharper on cuts as a route runner. — Bryan Driskell COMMITMENT PROFILE CANE BERRONG Notre Dame Pulls 2021 Tight End Out Of The South Berrong — a product of Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County who is rated as the No. 6 tight end in the class of 2021 by Rivals — selected Notre Dame over schools such as Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia and LSU. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM