Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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40 AUGUST 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER Georgia is once again on Notre Dame's mind. The Fighting Irish's latest com- mitment from the Peach State comes from Atlanta Westminster 's Holden Staes, a four-star tight end per Rivals in the 2022 class. "It was the choice for me because it was always secretly one of my dream schools," Staes said. "It's known as Tight End U. They're putting tight ends in the NFL almost every year. The prestige of the historical pro- gram — they're winning at a high level. It's a great academic school for me — great fit." Staes originally committed to Penn State last August, but backed off that pledge in early February. Five days after his decommitment, Notre Dame entered the recruitment with a schol- arship offer. Notre Dame tight ends coach John McNulty and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees led the charge in re- cruiting Staes and pursued him hard. Staes informed the Irish staff of his decision to commit rather early in the spring, but he wanted to announce his pledge in a video surrounded by out-of-town family members. The 6-4, 230-pounder posted on social media to inform the public of his de- cision May 8. "They meant a lot," Staes said of the Irish coaching staff. "They've been very good coaches to me and my family. Coach McNulty's experi- ence in the NFL and then coming back to college is a big thing for me. "I'll be developed really well. I'll fit in Coach Rees' offense; I love what he's doing with the tight ends. It'll be a seamless transition for sure." Staes met the Notre Dame staff for the first time during his June 18-20 official visit. He raved about his time spent with McNulty. "Honestly, he's the same person on Zoom, on the phone or in person," Staes explained. "He's even-keeled and a super nice guy. He knows ball and what he's talking about. He's the nicest dude ever; I love talking to him." Staes attends one of the finest pri- vate institutions in the country, and the transition from Westminster to Notre Dame is a natural one. "It was definitely important," Staes said about the academic fit at Notre Dame. "You want to have a degree that holds weight when you're done playing football. I felt that it was the best of both worlds — strong aca- demics and big-time football. It was an easy decision." For the 2021 season, the Irish will have nine players from Staes' home state, which includes Atlanta Pace Academy wide receiver Jayden Thomas, Athens (Ga.) Academy wide receiver Deion Colzie and Col- lege Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy safety Khari Gee, who each signed in the previous cycle. Staes is good friends with all three. Notre Dame's most recent tight end to be selected in the NFL Draft is Tommy Tremble, who went in the third round to the Carolina Panthers. Tremble is also from the Atlanta area, and Staes' game as a versatile tight end is similar to Tremble's. Rivals ranks Staes as the No. 30 player in Georgia and the No. 16 tight end in the country. "I'm a leader," Staes noted. "I'm a guy who's going to put his head down and work. I'm going to do whatever is needed to help the team win. I'm a versatile tight end who can make plays all over the field." He held right around 30 scholar- ship offers, including Alabama, Au- burn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, USC and Wisconsin. Staes had his season cut short due to a minor injury and played in just six games, but before that he totaled 14 receptions for 240 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 23 tack- les, 6.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and one interception playing defense for Westminster. He had eight receptions for 214 yards and two touchdowns for his team that rarely threw the ball during his sophomore campaign. Staes was named to the 2020 Geor- gia 5-AAA All-Region first-team of- fense. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE HOLDEN STAES Four-Star Georgia Tight End Finds 'Great Fit' With Notre Dame Staes, a former Penn State pledge, is rated as the No. 30 prospect in the Peach State and the No. 16 tight end nationally by Rivals. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER FILM ANALYSIS "Notre Dame does a fantastic job recruit- ing and producing excellent tight ends and [Holden] Staes could be the next one up. He catches the ball away from his body and has a lot of success on jump balls. Staes wins a large percentage of his contested catches because of his strong hands and long arms. "He isn't the biggest tight end Notre Dame has ever had, but he has a great frame and plenty of room to fill out, which should help him as a run blocker. Staes is a great athlete and is pretty dangerous in the open field when he has room to run after the catch. He is very difficult for defenders to bring down once he gets a head of steam." — Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman "It was the choice for me because it was always secretly one of my dream schools. It's known as Tight End U. They're putting tight ends in the NFL almost every year. The prestige of the historical program — they're winning at a high level. It's a great academic school for me — great fit." STAES ON NOTRE DAME