Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 25, 2021 45 PREP PROFILES One of the headline recruits to visit Notre Dame for the Irish's home opener against Toledo was Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic nose tackle Sydir Mitchell. The four-star class of 2023 prospect spoke to Blue & Gold Illustrated about the visit, which he raved about. "The coaching staff is full of really cool guys," Mitchell said. "The students there who helped out were all really nice. It was just a really good environ- ment to be in." It was Mitchell's first experience at Notre Dame, and he had good company on the visit. Mitchell made the trek to South Bend with his high school team- mates, quarterback Steve Angeli and defensive back Jayden Bellamy, who are committed to the Irish in the 2022 cycle. "It was great. They got to show me around, knew who to talk to and what to do," Mitchell added. "It was really cool going up there with them." Mitchell had a brief chat with Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston during the trip. "I got to talk to the defensive line coach a little bit, and we were talking about how things were going, who we play next and how they have seen some of our games," Mitchell said. Notre Dame has not offered Mitchell yet, but the contact has picked up a bit in recent weeks. "They're messaging me almost every other day," Mitchell noted. "It's a lot on Twitter; they'll send me things about their games and practices." Between his teammates having com- mitted to the Irish and his current high school being a great feeder to Notre Dame, Mitchell would love an offer from head coach Brian Kelly's program. "It would be a really big deal to me," Mitchell said. "Even with Steve and Bel- lamy there, I'd still want to focus on what the school has. It would be really cool to get the offer from them. They'd be up there for sure." Mitchell plans to visit Penn State this weekend and hopes to take additional trips to Florida State, Michigan and North Carolina. Rivals ranks Mitchell — who stands at 6-5, 352 pounds — as the No. 4 player in New Jersey, and the No. 9 defensive tackle and No. 241 overall prospect in the country. — Mike Singer Folsom (Calif.) High class of 2024 signal-caller Austin Mack took advan- tage of his team's bye week and got a firsthand look at Notre Dame when the Irish hosted Toledo Sept. 11. "Their new indoor facility was in- sane; it was probably one of the nic- est things I've seen," Mack said. "Their whole campus is so historic and has so much tradition. It was really cool to see. The fans were great, too. "The game was super cool. There was a ton of kids in the student section. It was like a high school game times 10. It would be crazy to be on the field playing in that atmosphere." The visit came together fairly quickly. Notre Dame contacted Mack's head coach not too long ago to express the Irish's interest in him. Unofficial visits on game days for un- derclassmen are much more for the ex- perience than having in-depth conver- sations with coaches. However, Mack was still able to have a meet and greet with Irish offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees. "I talked to Coach Rees after the game for a little bit," Mack said. "He asked me how my season was going and told me how he'd be watching me. I got his phone number, so I'll be shooting him a call. I talked to some other coaches, too." An offer from the Fighting Irish would be a big deal for the 6-5, 200-pounder. "If I got an offer from Notre Dame, it'd be really cool," he said. "I loved the atmosphere there. It's not a huge college with a ton of kids, but there's still a ton of people at their games." California, Nevada and Oregon saw Mack's talents very early and offered him a scholarship before the start of his sophomore year. He's only a junior varsity quarterback though. Folsom has a return- ing senior starter on varsity. It's rare for a junior varsity prospect to receive offers, but Mack is not a normal recruit. "My strengths are my pocket passing and ability to carve up the defense," he said. Mack mentioned that Arizona State, Texas and Washington have been show- ing interest lately. — Mike Singer Four-Star Defensive Lineman Enjoys Notre Dame Visit Intriguing 2024 Quarterback Checks Out South Bend SYDIR MITCHELL ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Bergen Catholic H.S. Oradell, N.J. Status: Not offered Class: 2023 Position: Defensive tackle Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 352 Rivals Rankings: No. 4 player in New Jersey, and No. 9 defensive tackle and No. 241 overall player nationally AUSTIN MACK Folsom H.S. Folsom, Calif. Status: Not offered Class: 2024 Position: Pro-style quarter- back Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 200 Rivals Rankings: Rivals has not ranked the 2024 class yet "Their new indoor facility was insane; it was probably one of the nicest things I've seen. Their whole campus is so historic and has so much tradi- tion. It was really cool to see. The fans were great, too." Mack on Notre Dame "The coaching staff is full of really cool guys. The students there who helped out were all really nice. It was just a really good environment to be in." Mitchell on Notre Dame