Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 NOV. 16, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PREP PROFILES Notre Dame has its quarterback commits in the 2020 and 2021 classes in New Canaan (Conn.) High's Drew Pyne, the nation's No. 100 overall se- nior prospect, and La Jolla (Calif.) The Bishop's School's Tyler Buchner, the No. 65 junior in the land. Both prospects are very solid in their pledges to Notre Dame, which allows Irish quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees to get a head start on passers in the 2022 class. One of the top sophomore signal-callers Notre Dame has interest in is Aurora (Colo.) Regis Jesuit south- paw Nicco Marchiol. The 6-2, 205-pounder already holds offers from Arizona, Colorado, Geor- gia, Michigan, Utah, Washington State and others. While Rivals has not ranked 2022 prospects yet, it's clear that Marchiol is one of the best young quarterbacks in the nation. He visited Notre Dame Nov. 2 and saw senior quarterback Ian Book lead the Fighting Irish 87 yards in 18 plays for a game-winning score in the final minute of a 21-20 triumph over Vir- ginia Tech. "Overall, the visit was a lot of fun," Marchiol said. "I loved being a part of the Notre Dame culture and family. It really felt like I could be there some day." This was Marchiol's first visit to South Bend, and he was impressed with everything the school had to of- fer. "The facilities were top notch, and being a part of the game day experi- ence was like no other," he said. "I will definitely be back in the future and can't wait for what's to come." The Irish don't throw out many offers to recruits in the fall of their sophomore year. "I think Notre Dame is very inter- ested in me and would like to see how things play out after my sophomore year," he explained. "It would be an honor to be offered a scholarship by them, but it will take time." Marchiol has enjoyed what the re- cruiting process has brought to him as just a sophomore. "It's really humbling to get all these offers so early and to be exposed to the recruiting world," he said. "I'm just glad I can get a feel for recruiting now and not have to worry about it later on. It's just been a blessing so far." In leading Regis Jesuit to a 10-0 regular season this fall, Marchiol has completed 139 of 221 passes for 1,894 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. — Mike Singer Notre Dame extended a new schol- arship in the 2021 class just hours be- fore the Irish kicked off against Vir- ginia Tech Nov. 2. Muskego (Wis.) High 2021 safety Hunter Wohler came into his visit hoping for good news from Notre Dame, and it came from head coach Brian Kelly. "When I sat down with Coach Kelly, we talked football and their game plan for the day, and he extended a scholar- ship offer my way," Wohler said. "That was very exciting." The Irish joined Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin on Wohler's offer list. "It means a lot," Wohler said of the Notre Dame scholarship offer. "It's cool to know a program like this thinks that highly of me and they're looking at me to be a big player for them. It's a good feeling." For the visit itself, Wohler enjoyed taking in Notre Dame's 21-20 triumph over Virginia Tech. "I thought it was really cool," Wohler said. "It was great to see what it was like on game day and the atmosphere." This was Wohler's second visit to South Bend, with the first coming over the summer for a prospect camp. He doesn't plan on taking any other visits this fall. "As of right now, no," he said. "I think this visit might be it for me this fall. We'll see if any other visits pop up." The four-star recruit could poten- tially be making an early decision. "I plan on deciding after this foot- ball season, either winter or spring," Wohler said. "The most important things for me are the coaching staff and the team in general. I want it to feel like home." Notre Dame landed a commitment from Ohio State graduate transfer safety Isaiah Pryor during the Virginia Tech game weekend, and he is the only player joining the Irish in 2020 at the position, although the program's three cornerback commits have the versatil- ity to play safety. It's very important for the Irish to take a true safety or two from the high school ranks in the 2021 class. Wohler would be a good fit for Notre Dame, but it's also possible that he could play the rover position, which is currently manned by junior Jeremiah Owusu- Koramoah. Rivals ranks Wohler as the No. 6 safety and No. 199 overall prospect nationally. — Mike Singer Top 2022 Quarterback Enjoys His Notre Dame Visit Junior Safety Lands Offer During Conversation With Brian Kelly HUNTER WOHLER ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Muskego H.S. Muskego, Wis. Status: Offered Class: 2021 Position: Safety Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 188 Rivals Rankings: No. 6 safety and No. 199 overall player nationally NICCO MARCHIOL Regis Jesuit H.S. Aurora, Colo. Status: Interested Class: 2022 Position: Quarterback Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 205 Rivals Rankings: Class hasn't been ranked yet "Overall, the visit was a lot of fun. I loved being a part of the Notre Dame culture and family. It really felt like I could be there some day." Marchiol "It means a lot. It's cool to know a program like this thinks that highly of me, and they're looking at me to be a big player for them. It's a good feeling." Wohler on Notre Dame