Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1338415
50 MARCH 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MASON PLUMMER Oftentimes when Notre Dame lands a player from the West Coast or the Deep South, curiosity ensues on how they will adjust to living in the Midwest where it is often cold and snow is not uncommon. Some will even say that getting re- cruits to come play at Notre Dame is more difficult because of the weather and the location. Will Schweitzer, a Notre Dame 2021 defensive end signee out of Los Gatos, Calif., does not have that problem. While he grew up mainly in California, Schweitzer has moved all across the United States, and even the world, as he grew up. "I was born in California, about 40 minutes away from Los Gatos where I live right now," Schweitzer said. "I lived there for a couple years until my middle brother was born, and we moved to London right after that." The Schweitzer family moved to the England capital to follow Will's father's work. They lived in England for just more than three years, before moving to Chicago when Will was 6 years old, and that's where he began his education. "I really got to see how diverse the world was and the different kinds of people all around the world," Sch- weitzer explained. "Moving around has really helped me in life and I think it is going to help me when I get to South Bend. "I have experienced different cul- tures and I feel like I can fit in and make friends anywhere." The weather in South Bend will not nearly be the same as in Los Gatos, but Schweitzer is prepared to face it head on. He has more experience than most, growing up in Chicago for a good portion of his younger life. A part of the move and transition to college life that may be difficult for the Notre Dame defensive end is the distance from his family. Schweitzer is very close with his parents and two brothers, and will now be more than 2,200 miles away from them. Growing up, Schweitzer's parents never missed a game of his and now will be forced to watch from home. However, the family does have plans to come and see their son plenty of times throughout his Notre Dame career. The next four seasons of Notre Dame football line up nicely for the Schweitzer family as far as holidays are concerned. Each of the next four years, the Irish will travel to Cali- fornia during the week of Thanks- giving to play Stanford and USC in alternating years, which Schweitzer is already eagerly awaiting. The transition to college life is a challenge for all, but few may be more well-equipped to handle it than Schweitzer. ✦ WILL SCHWEITZER DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-5 · 220 LOS GATOS H.S. LOS GATOS, CALIF. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 28* 41 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 98^ 91 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 31^ 40 * Ranked as DE; ^ ranked as OLB STATISTICS • Did not have a senior season because Califor- nia canceled fall sports due to COVID-19 concerns. • Recorded 130 total stops, nine tackles for loss, two sacks and three interceptions, plus had eight receptions for 139 yards and one touchdown in his junior season in 2019. NOTABLE • Born on Aug. 21, 2002. • 2019 San Francisco Chronicle second-team defense. • 2019 California All-Central Coast first-team defense. • 2019 Santa Clara Valley Athletic League first- team defense. • 2019 All-Bay Area HQ third-team defense. • 2018 All-SCVAL De Anza Division most out- standing sophomore. • Also played baseball in high school. RECRUITMENT • Drew early interest from Notre Dame, but the Irish didn't offer a scholarship, so he committed to Nebraska in June 2020. • Earned an offer from Notre Dame in early Au- gust and announced his flip from the Cornhuskers to Fighting Irish on Aug. 16, 2020. • Also held offers from Arkansas, Boise State, Colorado, Harvard, Michigan State, Utah, Virginia Tech and others. • Recruited by special teams coordinator Brian Polian and former defensive coordinator Clark Lea. 2021 PROJECTION • Schweitzer is likely to redshirt as a true fresh- man in 2021. THEY SAID IT Los Gatos head coach Mark Krail: "Will is ex- tremely versatile and fast. Even as a freshman, we saw the speed he had, and the speed he played with was very impressive. He is also physically strong, which stood out to us quite a bit." Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Gor- ney: "Schweitzer plays defensive end, inside linebacker, outside linebacker and he makes an impact all over the field. The longer I do this job, the more I realize that the most important aspect for hybrid defensive ends/outside linebackers is how much ground they can cover and how often they can get the offensive player on the ground. "Schweitzer had more than 100 tackles in his junior season, and he is great at diagnosing plays, attacking the ball and making plays. Schweitzer does need to add a decent amount of muscle to his frame to play at the highest level, but his frame should allow that in the coming years." Distance Is Not A Problem For Will Schweitzer Schweitzer — a rangy defensive end from Los Gatos, Calif. — committed to Notre Dame in August, flipping from Nebraska. PHOTO COURTESY WILL SCHWEITZER VIA TWITTER