Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2021 27 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER Cane Berrong didn't love his first name when he was a kid, but he's come around on it. "I'm Cane. That's me," he said. It's a rare name, and the origin of his name is connected to a previous annual foe for the Fighting Irish. From 1971-90, Miami and Notre Dame played each season (except for 1986), and the "Catholics vs. Con- victs" 1988 game will forever be re- membered by the Irish faithful. Cane's father, Scott, grew up a die-hard Miami Hurricanes fan and named his firstborn son after his fa- vorite college team. Cane never liked the Canes quite as much as his dad, but he grew into a fan himself. "When I went to the Miami-Florida State game in 2017, that's when I re- ally started to like them," Berrong said. "But then I started getting re- cruited a couple years later." Berrong's first scholarship offer came from LSU on Jan. 12, 2019, and as he started to build relationships with colleges across the country, his Miami fandom gradually started to dissipate. An offer from Miami came on March 24, 2019, which fired up Ber- rong and his family. But Notre Dame was the second favorite school in his household. "Everybody was pretty excited when Miami offered, but I grew up liking Notre Dame, too," Berrong explained. "That was my brother 's favorite team when he was little. When my dad coached my brother in rec league, they were the Fighting Irish." Miami held the early lead in the recruitment, but then the Irish passed the Hurricanes after he learned more about Notre Dame's academics and tight end tradition, and saw the cam- pus for himself. "It definitely bumped them up to No. 1," Berrong noted. The three-star tight end from Hart County High School in Hartwell, Ga., committed to Notre Dame on June 21, 2019 and never looked back. Notre Dame ended up being his fa- ther's favorite school, too. When Notre Dame faces Miami in 2024 during Berrong's senior year, his family might just have to make "Cane vs. Convicts" T-shirts. ✦ This Cane Is All About The Fighting Irish Cane Berrong, ESPN's No. 1 tight end and No. 51 overall player nationally, had 26 catches for 305 yards and four touchdowns as a senior. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM CANE BERRONG TIGHT END 6-3 · 215 HART COUNTY H.S. HARTWELL, GA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 35 46 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 51 1 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 31 38 STATISTICS • Recorded 26 catches for 305 yards and four touchdowns in 2020. • Notched 43 receptions for 486 yards and four scores as a junior. NOTABLE • Born on Sept. 8, 2002. • 2021 Under Armour All-American. • 2020 Preseason All-Georgia second team by MaxPreps. • 2020 Touchdown Club of Atlanta's Preseason All-Star Team. • 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Preseason 3A first-team offense. • 2020 and 2019 Region 8-AAA first-team offense. • 2019 Georgia class 3A first-team offense. • Intends to major in exercise science. RECRUITMENT • Notre Dame was offer No. 6 for Berrong in February 2019. • Committed to the Irish on June 21, 2019. • Also held offers from Alabama, Florida, Geor- gia, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State and many others. • Recruited by former offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Chip Long, but remained strong in his pledge after Long's departure. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in February. 2021 PROJECTION • Berrong enters a fairly loaded tight end room even with Tommy Tremble entering the NFL Draft. With how much Notre Dame uses its tight ends, he could see a limited role in 2021. THEY SAID IT Hart County head coach Rance Gillespie: "He has taken a lot of pride in what he's becoming as a blocker. He's very detail oriented. He is still in the process of learning the position and becom- ing a total player, but God has gifted him with a broad skill set. He's a guy who can do all of the things you want athletically." Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly: "What we loved about Cane was his athletic ability. He didn't have the same SPARQ [testing] numbers of a Tommy Tremble, but he is very similar in terms of how he plays the position — catches it, runs, physically, gritty as a player." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "Cane is a high-powered receiver who plays with a motor that never stops. Super quick and fast, he is relent- less as a player who will stay with his block until the whistle. Unusually fast for a tight end and with a long wingspan and strong hands, he has the athleti- cism to become an All-American at the next level. "He catches the ball away from his body, shows good initial quickness and is reliable in short-to- intermediate routes, but fast enough to stretch the defense."